CALCUTTA CALLING: Aditya Bhattacharya

The grandson of Bimal Roy and son of Basu Bhattacharya is homeward bound. Aditya Bhattacharya, the man Aamir Khan shot his first film with, has decided to make his next movie in Calcutta.

“When I went to edit Dubai Return (his second film after Raakh, or ashes, which Aamir shot before his first release QSQT) in Calcutta at Black Magic, I felt this need to come and make a film in Calcutta,” he told Metro from Mumbai. “I was not born in Calcutta. But every Bengali in the world, when he or she comes to Calcutta, feels at home.”

So when the son of Basu Bhattacharya and Rinki Roy was ready to start his new innings as a director, he couldn’t think beyond this city. He set about looking for a story that he could shoot “at home”.

“About a year-and-a-half ago I came across this story written by a relative of mine. I had to convince the writer because he wanted to direct it himself. Also the story needed to be worked on. That process is now done and I want to shoot the film during Durga puja. Calcutta during Puja is quite iconic because the city and the festivities become one.”

The yet-to-be-titled film is a “drama” about a policeman father and his son and is centred on the Anglo-Indian community in the city. To keep things real, the film will be shot in English and Bangla. That’s not surprising, coming from the man whose third film (Sandokan in Sicilia) was in Italian because it was set in Sicily!

Aditya hasn’t finalised his cast, but he sure knows who he wants in the lead. “I am in talks with Tannishtha Chatterjee. She wants to work with me and she knows about this project. Also, after working with him in Dubai Return, my dream is to work with Irrfan Khan in every single film. Since the lead character is in his early 40s, he can look like Irrfan.”

For the rest of the cast, Aditya wants to cast “local actors”. His editor friend Arjun Gourisaria is sending him DVDs of recent Bengali films to bring him up to speed. “I will now make frequent trips to Calcutta to finalise the cast, decide on shooting locations and all,” says the film-maker, who has done cameos in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Black Friday.

With the multiplex-producer battle blocking Bollywood biggies, Aditya’s 1989 debut Raakh is eyeing a re-release across the country later this month. So why isn’t he bringing the likes of Aamir to shoot in Calcutta? “Because the star of the film will be the city,” he says. “Just like when you see Raakh, you feel Mumbai, I want people to feel Calcutta in this film. And I am hoping it will be a new Calcutta, Aditya Bhattacharya’s Calcutta, that no one has seen before.”