Debdoot Ghosh (as Keshab, the spoilt zamindar son) and Swastika Mukherjee in Bhooter Bhobishyot

After writing ad scripts and composing jingles for years, Anik Dutta is ready with his first feature, a film on ghosts — Bhooter Bhobishyot — which releases today. A t2 chat...

A film about ghosts haunting an old house — how relevant is such a film today?

If you look around, century-old buildings are meeting their doom at the hands of promoters. That saddens me and all those people who chose to stay back in the city because of its strong character. Most heritage buildings are being replaced by shopping malls and apartment blocks that all look alike and ugly. The familiar sights and sounds are slowly fading into oblivion. Having said that, I did not want to make a film that resonated regret. Nor did I want to make a dark comedy. I chose to take some cliched characters from various ages and do a spoof on them. I have an advertising background and spoofing comes naturally to me.

Was it easy to pull off an ensemble cast for your first film?

The film needed an ensemble cast. I had planned it that way. I had zeroed in on the cast not on the basis of their poster value but on how much each of them would contribute creatively. All the actors have been given equal footage irrespective of whether they are newcomers or stars. Yes, there were some logistical problems which you face in any kind of filmmaking. In fact, if you ask my actors they will tell you I was more like a Hitler on the sets! I had planned everything in minute detail and that ensured we didn’t waste any time on the sets.

Take us through the ‘ghosts’...

George Baker plays a Victorian era British civil servant in India. Paran Bandopadhyay plays a zamindar who loved entertaining British sahibs, which in turn helped him become a Rai Bahadur. Swastika Mukherjee plays a yesteryear actress, who had been spurned in love.... Some of the ghosts are identifiable, like the ones played by Mir and Mumtaz. Samadarshi plays a rock artiste who has no taste for Indian classical music. Kharaj Mukherjee and Saswata Chatterjee are in small but important roles. Uday Shankar Pal plays a Bhojpuri rickshawallah, while Sumit Samadder plays a quintessential Bangaal who lusts for Padma-r ilish even after becoming a ghost. Monami Ghosh has an item number. Sabyasachi Chakrabarty’s character Biplab is a twist at the end, inspired by the Naxalite movement of the ’70s. Parambrata Chattopadhyay plays a serious filmmaker who is inspired by Satyajit Ray’s school of filmmmaking.... I decided to blur the line between the real and the absurd. What is absurd now seemed very real in a bygone era.

Was it tough getting Parambrata and Swastika on board?

Well, they don’t have a scene together! Param was in England when I finished writing the script. I mailed him a summary of the script and he replied in block letters, ‘This is stupendously good.’ I was relieved that someone other than me thought it would work. Most other actors gave their consent almost immediately after listening to the narration. When I narrated the script to Swastika, she too said she was excited about the film.

Did you find a haunted mansion to shoot the film?

The bulk of it was shot at Serampore Rajbari and some portions were shot in Lahabari (Hedua) and Ghoshbari (Ballygunge). I went location hunting to about 30-40 heritage private buildings but most of them turned me down.

Since it has the look and feel of a period film, what did you do about the music?

The music has been composed by Raja Narayan Deb. There were no songs as such, I had written some jingles. Raja wanted to compose a full-length song when the credits roll at the end, and so we have this one full song at the end.