Guptodhoner Sondhane — which packs in adventure, history and tradition — is running to houseful shows, and director Dhrubo Banerjee couldn’t have been happier. He is bowled over by the positive response, and is already on to the sequel titled Durgeshgorer Guptodhon. A t2 chat...
Congratulations. The film is getting rave reviews...
The response has been unbelievable. From eight to 80, everyone has loved the film. A lot of repeat viewing is also happening. It’s great to see how people have accepted Sonada (Abir Chatterjee), Jhinuk (Ishaa Saha) and Abir (Arjun Chakrabarty). They are asking when the three will be back on screen again. That’s the biggest takeaway.
How did you conceive the look of your principal characters?
The clothes of iconic literary characters have always been important. Feluda sports his punjabi and trousers while Byomkesh Bakshi has his dhuti and punjabi. When it comes to clothes (in Guptodhoner), Abir (Arjun) is sporty that goes with his happy-go-lucky vibe. He represents the modern generation. Sonada (Abir) has a certain level of sophistication. And since he is a renowned professor from Oxford, it is only obvious that his wardrobe will have a certain distinctiveness about it (Sonada sports jackets, trousers). Jhinuk has a casual look and her beauty lies in her intelligence.
There is a really interesting shot in the film that happens in three layers — Ishaa cooks in the kitchen, Arjun stands in the doorway and Abir and Kamaleswar Mukherjee are in the background, and all four carry on various layers of conversation...
The idea was to tell a story in a single frame. There is a dynamism to it. It’s probably the only scene in the film that is without a cut. I like to do story boards, and it becomes easy to plan out things. And there is not one single thing in the film that is random.
What came first — the story or the puzzles (the film is full of puzzles that provide clues to the treasure)?
The story came first, then the screenplay was developed. And then the puzzles were written separately. The screenplay was written again taking the puzzles into account so that everything was seamless.
Was Sonada written keeping Abir in mind?
Everything fell into place really well. Whenever I see Abir, I feel Sonada is walking in front of me.... see, Feluda commands respect. Byomkesh is larger than life in his retro look and style. Sonada is today’s guy next-door. People who know Abir will of course figure out the resemblance. Sonada is a lot like Abir in real life.
You also directed three directors in your debut film. Did you feel nervous at any stage?
Everyone made me feel so comfortable. Arindam Sil is like an elder brother to me. The first shot of my debut film featured Goutam Ghose. So you can imagine! At the beginning only Goutamda told me, ‘You are the director, and I am the actor. Just tell me what to do.’ And Kamalda just captured one’s imagination with his stories. There is so much to learn from them. You can only feel humbled. I am a student of cinema.
Will Sonada have a love interest in the sequel? Will Abir and Jhinuk get married?
We don’t know that yet. The script is getting written (smiles).
