Director Sanjoy Nag has wrapped up the Calcutta leg of the anthology film Tasveer Se Bigdi Hui Taqdeer Bana Le. The Hindi film that Sanjoy shot in Calcutta recently stars Susmita Chatterjee and Amitosh Nagpal. A candid chat with Sanjoy.
What is the genesis of the anthology film?
For a while now, I have been exploring possibilities of collaborating with my good friend Amitosh Nagpal, an acclaimed writer and actor (he is an alumni of NSD and writer of popular Hindi films like Hindi Medium among others) to create something exciting. One day he narrated this germ of an idea which I found instantaneously exciting and we started working on the screenplay. He was gracious enough to let me tweak and add certain elements to the screenplay he had brilliantly written, to make it more contemporary and naturalised to the milieu of Calcutta during the annual Durga Puja festivities. And that set the ball rolling. Soon Romanchak Arora and Naushad Khan, the producers came on board and we were celebrating Durga’s homecoming with our competent unit in tow.
Why make an anthology film?
I feel in the anthology space, transitions between two or more stories, with certain overlapping ingredients, can be seamlessly carried forward independently while at the same time keeping an option open for combining two or more films into a feature film, if desired.
What are the storylines of the three shorts?
Anand searching for his missing father and thereby his roots, apparently provides solace to Bela, a disquieted food delivery person who he meets during his maiden trip to Calcutta on the day of Bijoya Dashami, heralding the annual physical journey of Goddess Durga from the earth. Like the Bishorjan apologue, Bela too was losing things important in her life and trying to her best to gather herself till this unknown man from a faraway city gave her hope and soon negotiations based on mutual trust affirmed a brighter future. However, Anand, not used to such unflinching trust being showered upon him, displays signs of wavering but in the end he packs her in his new adventure.
What are you trying to say through this film? Why was it necessary to make it?
In this age of 24X7 connectivity, it is still possible to manipulatively explore vulnerability and create templates which constantly challenge the wired new normal. Human souls at their core carry multiple tangential beliefs and value systems and all it takes is an apparent innocuous catalyst for the mind to run amok in directions which were hard to contemplate — and how in the end the exercise of restraint imbibed from fellow travellers in this journey of life vehemently tries to rotate the human compass to its desired north pole.
How was your shooting experience for the first film during Durga Puja?
It was exciting and exhilarating at the same time. The vibrancy of Calcutta with the sounds, the people and the effervescent energy added to the backdrop, thereby in the process the city becoming a character into itself — something that the narrative needed. The riot of colours, the inexhaustive energy of the revellers and Calcutta as a whole greatly contributes to the film, adding to its uniqueness. The street food, the banter, the traffic jams only acted as a catalyst.
Susmita
Who plays who?
Amitosh Nagpal plays Anand while Susmita Chatterjee plays Bela. Angana Mukherjee plays Meera and Deboprosad Halder plays the food shop owner.
How did you go about the casting process?
Amitosh I had seen previously and knew he would fit Anand perfectly well. Susmita was new to me and after seeing her films, followed by script discussions and readings, I knew we had found our Bela, which she has proved in her characterisation. I had watched Deboprosad in a short film and there was never a doubt that he was the right choice for the character. Angana, a brilliant danseuse, was a suggestion that came from the unit and I have to admit I am pleasantly surprised with her performance. I am very pleased with the overall outstanding performance of all my cast and crew members.
How was it like directing the cast?
We had a blast — shooting in Calcutta during the Pujas is a different experience in itself. The rains, the traffic jams, the post Covid norms notwithstanding, the cast was very cooperative without which it would have been difficult it pull it through. After all the film is as good as the team/unit.
Why shoot the next one in Agra in winter?
For us the mausoleum at the Taj and the city of Agra in itself reeks of nostalgia and romance, far removed from the non-observant selfie-clicking habits in vogue these days — and therefore we thought it was only natural that we travel to Agra with the story — a city which seamlessly integrates with our narrative. The soft light and the winter haze only enriches the visual magic, created brilliantly so far by the DoP Salu K Thomas (The Great Indian Kitchen).
