The wait is finally over! With Kishmish, starring Dev and Rukmini Maitra, releasing today in theatres, movie buffs have plenty to look forward to. Directed by Rahool Mukherjee, the story of Kishmish is spread over different timelines. “I really loved the story when Rahool narrated it to me. We had decided that the look, feel and colour palette of the film will be vibrant. And now we can say that we have done justice to the script. We are excited to hear the reactions of the audience,” says Dev. “This is what mainstream cinema is all about. Everyone is looking glamourous. There’s song and dance, drama and suspense. It has everything for everybody. You walk into the theatre with your entire family and you come out smiling. There’s a sense of confidence among us all that Kishmish will strike the right chord with the audiences,” says Rukmini. The Telegraph chats with Dev and Rukmini on the various highpoints and themes of Kishmish...
First time together in a love story
Dev: This is the first time that audiences are going to witness Dev and Rukmini in an out-and-out love story.
Rukmini: This is something that we, as an on-screen couple, have not attempted before. And of course the vibe is very different from what we have done together in Chaamp, Cockpit and Kabir. I was playing the wife and Chaamp was more of a sports film. In Cockpit, it was more of a hurt lover kind of a situation. In Kabir I was the antagonist while he was the hero. Most of the times we have had a lot of guns blazing, very complex stories. But I think this is the first time we are falling in love with each other in Kishmish.
Dev: That is what we are trying to depict on screen together. Usually when audiences like an on-screen couple they tend to play it safe with the typical romantic equation. But we have made this effort, consciously or subconsciously, to not take the conventional route of a typical romantic on-screen couple.
Rukmini: We always try to reinvent our chemistry on screen. The audiences are going to see us dancing, singing, falling in love in college and sharing a bond of friendship. This will be a fresh new start for the Dev-Rukmini on-screen pair.
The Youth Connect
Dev: Kishmish is a romantic comedy, it is a love story as sweet as kishmish. And it is a love story which is very youth-centric.
Rukmini: In the recent past we have noticed that there hasn’t been many love stories in Bengali cinema. Thematically pictures are more complicated, dark and literature based. The simplicity of a love story has been missing for quite some time. And owing to the fact that Bengali cinema primarily caters to the above-45 age group of late, the youth have been neglected a tad. If Kishmish becomes a success, we are going to bring back the youth to Bengali cinema.
Dev: Once they come back it increases the longevity of the Bengali industry for another 20 years. It is somewhere a revolutionary attempt to build a brand new audience for Bengali cinema in itself.
Parents as best friends
Rukmini: Kishmish has a progressive take on relationships because in films we often depict age-old ideas. We have all evolved and it is so important for parents to become their child’s best friend. That is what we have tried to show in Kishmish.
Dev: No one is a villain here. Everyone is trying to battle their own demons in a way. At times parents tend to take charge of their child’s life. They are strict with them. But there comes a time when they become their child’s best friend. We have tried to depict that on screen. Kishmish is about the young generation, it is about their dreams, inspirations, aspirations and concerns. It is also about their relationships with their parents.
Rukmini: A lot of times children during their adolescence really don’t know who to talk to, how to express their emotions, what to do and what not to do. But if parents try and be understanding and tell them that it is okay to not feel okay, then it is a huge step... it is about what choices the children make. All of these things can be guided by their parents when they choose to be their best friends. That is how we have tried to depict the interpersonal relationships between children and parents in Kishmish.
Visual treat
Dev: Since the trailer dropped, everyone unanimously commented about how good the movie is looking visually. And we owe that to the DoP of the film, Modhura Palit.
Rukmini: Modhura has done a fantastic job. She has made the film look like a breath of fresh air. The way Kishmish is looking, it is so fresh. It is a visual treat. Working with Modhura has been a delight in itself. She is super-duper quick... I was doing 17 different scenes in a day, and it was quite a task to do that... I had to keep changing my looks.
The different looks of Dev and Rukmini in the film
Tale of different eras
Dev: One of the most exciting things about Kishmish was the opportunity to depict a completely different era. The beautiful part is that how Rahool has managed to blend the two eras together and give it its logic, which is very important.
Rukmini: It was very exciting for me, I was overjoyed. So much detail has gone into it. It has been done beautifully. Playing two distinct characters from two different eras in the same film, it was quite challenging for me. I hope I have done justice to the director’s vision. For the character from the ’80s era, I felt her complexities and pathos. The only brief I had for this bit was to be in love and to feel the character’s emotions. I am very grateful to have done this.
Wow Animation
Dev: Another USP of the film is the animation. This film is for every age group. The way it stitches the entire film together will be yet another treat to watch. My character Tintin is a cartoonist... with the narration you’ll get to see a lot of animation coming through. We all are very proud of it, we have offered something new, fresh, vibrant, feel-good and fun.
Melody Map
Rukmini: The music of the film has really travelled. Nilayan Chatterjee is so talented and I am glad that he has got this opportunity to shine and boy, has he grabbed it. Every song is a hit. The way he has infused life into Kishmish is something we never imagined. The lyrics have struck a chord. This is the first time I saw the lyrics of the song being tattooed on somebody’s arm. This is the power of music. There have been many Reels for our song Tui bolbo na tumi. Everyone is singing the songs.
Family Time
Dev: Kishmish is also a family drama. Even though it is the story of Tintin and Rohini and how they come together and fall in love and what follows thereafter, we cannot deny that every relationship is about the marriage of two families and not only two people.
Rukmini: Love exists in every form within every kind of relationship. Kishmish deals with very intimate and intricate relationships. The way Rahool has portrayed the delicate emotions with such finesse is really commendable.
