What’s in a name? A lot actually, if one goes by the buzz surrounding the Dev-Rukmini Maitra starrer Kishmish, which releases on April 29. Since the day the title was announced, Dev and Rukmini have been flooded with questions on the name of the film. From their response we know that the name resonates with love. “It might seem complicated on the outside but it’s sweet on the inside,” say Dev and Rukmini. The Telegraph caught up with the duo at Raajkutir, Kolkata — IHCL SeleQtions for a special Poila Baisakh chat and shoot...
What comes to mind when we say Shubho Nava Varsha?
Dev: To me it means cinema, houseful boards and celebrations. My film Premer Kahini released on Poila Baisakh. I have many vivid memories from my childhood days, from holding the new Bengali calendar to seeing the haalkatha.
Rukmini: Any kind of a new beginning brings new hope. It is about wishing people more hope for the future. It is about starting off the Bengali New Year by being more connected to our roots. Amidst all the Westernisation that one follows, Nava Varsha brings us back somehow to our Bangaliana. It seeps out. One gets to value one’s roots. Also, my mother has this habit of donating clothes on Nava Varsha.
How was last year’s Nava Varsha?
Dev: It was quite something. I remember campaigning during that time and requesting everyone to wear masks at my rallies all the time.
Rukmini: I was shooting in Bombay last year and this was exactly the time I tested positive (for Covid-19) and was hospitalised.
Dev, your film Tonic completed 100 days recently in theatres and it was a huge success at the box office. Do you feel the festive window is the perfect time to release Bengali films in theatres?
Dev: The festive period helps to give a push to the film but it doesn’t decide the fate of the film. That will be decided only if your film is good and has strong content. Promotions are very important and we try our best to promote a film. But once the film releases, word of mouth is the biggest publicity in today’s time. If you like a film, you’ll recommend it to your friends and family members. That’s what happened with Saajbati, Golondaaj and Tonic, my last three films, which were so successful. We are very hopeful about Kishmish, because it is about the young generation, it is about their dreams, inspirations, aspirations and concerns. It is also about their relationships with their parents.
What are your expectations from Kishmish?
Rukmini: It had a very positive vibe to it from the onset. I didn’t want to change anything about it when I first heard it. And I immediately wanted to watch this film. When we started shooting we felt that vibe on set. The energy told me that we are making something good. The moment the trailer dropped, the kind of response that the team received was huge. It was overwhelming. This film is both for the multiplex and the single screen. 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.
The songs and the dance moves are getting huge traction on social media...
Rukmini: Every song works for the film, and takes the story forward. The songs in Kishmish are more like conversations. It tells you what the character Rohini or Tintin is going through. It is emoting the exact emotion one person is feeling at the moment. Obosheshe has romance and yet it is filled with a lot of pain. Tui bolbo na tumi is a great college song.
Every song depicts the mood of the film at that point of time.
Dev, you are doing the song-and-dance routine in a film after a while...
Dev: I have played four different characters in the film, including a college student and people have loved it. I have always tried to break the mould by mixing things up, by experimenting. From Bunohaans to Golondaaj, emotional family dramas to Tonic. For a romantic film, you have to go back to that young vibe. Animation has a large role to play in the film. I play a graphic artist. I just loved doing the song-and-dance sequences. I became what I am because of those immensely popular song-and-dance numbers.
Rukmini: He is dancing keeping the character in mind. There is a lot of hard work when you do one step 50-odd times. Performing for the camera is a whole new ball game. If you have rhythm in your body that always helps. And I enjoy dancing, though the weather conditions were really difficult this time, there was rain and fog.
Does it feel good to do an out-and-out romantic film finally?
Rukmini: Dev and I have shared a very different kind of an interpersonal relationship on screen. It is very different from what conventional screen couples would do. We started off by playing man and wife and now we are romancing in college! This chemistry has not been witnessed on screen ever before. At my birthday parties I challenge him to dance-offs! To his songs!
Who wins?!
Rukmini: I, of course (laughs out loud).
How did you get the idea to do a dab?
Rukmini: Baba Yadav came up with the idea. Because it connects with the millennials, the pop culture... the Gen Z. So we had to show these timelines very distinctively. The current generation immediately took to the dab. Every era has its flavour and we have used things very subtly. Also the animation in Kishmish is amazing. Fifteen hundred artistes have worked on the animation for more than two years.
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Stylist: Chikky Goenka
Hair and make-up for Rukmini: Prosenjit Biswas
Hair and make-up for Dev: Arun Mondal
Look One
Rukmini in Yellow
Outfit: Pernias Popup Shop
Jewellery: Runway Hit
Dev
Outfit: Dapper
Look Two
Rukmini in Peach
Outfit: SVA by Sonam & Paras Modi
Jewellery: Runway Hit
Dev
Outfit: Radical
Poila Baishak at Raajkutir, Kolkata — IHCL SeleQtions
This is my first time in Calcutta and I am looking forward to the variety of cuisine the city has to offer and learning about the cultural heritage of Bengal. As I begin my journey at Raajkutir I would like to wish Calcutta a Shubho Nava Varsha — Ankur Gairola, hotel manager
RANGMANCH BALL ROOM
Lunch and dinner on April 15
Lunch: Noon onwards; dinner 7.30pm onwards
Menu highlights: Savour the Raaj Barir Bhoj comprising authentic delicacies like Gandhorajer Ghol, Postor Bora, Vegetable Cutlet, Kalojeera Dia Topse Fry, Gandhoraj Chicken Cutlet, Maan Kochu Bata, Chingri Machher Malai Curry, Raajbarir Katlar Machher Kalia, Dak Bunglow Murgi, Kosha Mangsho, Nashipur Palacer Channar Kofta and exquisite desserts like Sor Doi, Makha Sondesh, Til Chhai, Sakthigarher Langcha and much more.
Rates: Rs 1,700 all inclusive per person (buffet lunch and dinner)
For reservations: +91- 9674960182 /+91-33-40844848
EAST INDIA ROOM
Ala Carte Lunch and Dinner
Lunch: Noon onwards and dinner 7.30pm onwards
Rates: Rs 2,500-plus
