A two-storied house lies in ruins. Tall trees overlook the house with a spacious garden and courtyard. A dimly lit staircase took us to the first floor. The set (of the thriller Madam Sengupta, starring Rituparna Sengupta and Rahul Bose) resembled a typical south Calcutta house that might have belonged to a research scholar or a mathematician with books and files and layers of dust covering the tables and cupboards. A seemingly unused LED TV stayed on an unimpressive wall while paintings hung on another wall. A picture of Rabindranath Tagore hung on the wall right beside the entrance. Not much was revealed about the scene featuring Rituparna and Paran Bandyopadhyay but we did hear a noise, which sounded like gunshots. Considering the movie being a whodunnit and a thriller, we can make a hundred guesses about the gunshots but only time will tell who was killed!
On a hot summer afternoon, the other scene that we witnessed was an outdoor one in the garden area located right outside the house. With a white bench and a blackboard, the scene was that of a teacher imparting lessons to some young children.
Meanwhile, for the scene, Rituparna, Rahul and Kharaj Mukherjee sneakily walk around the boundary wall of the garden. Not much was given away but the trio was silent and careful as Kharaj led the way. Notably, Rituparna plays the role of a Delhi-based cartoonist in the movie who turns investigator because of a devastating, personal loss. Whilst investigating, fate brings her back to Calcutta where she reconnects with her long-lost friend, played by Rahul, who is now a media magnate and takes his help in the investigation.
Shayantan Ghoshal
We spotted summer-friendly outfits worn by Rituparna and Rahul. She sported a featherweight cotton white shirt with peach stripes and paired it with peach-flared pants. A matching scarf and simple three-layered minimalist neckpiece completed the look. Rahul, on the other hand, has a wardrobe based on neutral shades for his role and looked dapper in beige and black.
In 2024, the audience will see Rituparna in multitudes of unique roles in movies like Nevermind, Dabaru, Amar Labangalata and more. Continuing that spree, the multifaceted actress has once again chosen a role that ought to wow the viewers. In a chat with t2, the beautiful actress said: “I love the name of my character in this film, Anurekha. Now, Anurekha has her share of things going on but she is an artiste who specialises in cartoons. She became a cartoonist because it intrigued her but it will be very interesting to see how this professional aspect triggers her to investigate the big thing that happens in her life. As a cartoonist, Anurekha’s instincts are very sharp and she can see a lot of things that others cannot. Moreover, I love painting and sketching. I used to go to painting school as a child but later it stayed with me as a pastime and a stressbuster. In fact, it is through cartoons that Anurekha tries to take this investigation forward. I think such roles are really nice for me. I want to gift my audience a character that they have not seen me in before. My audience has huge expectations from me. They sometimes love me, praise me, criticise me, and then again accept me. I think their pushing is an expression of their expectation of something extraordinary from me and it has a positive effect on me.”
She added: “Rahul has always been a very serious actor. He has his own way of doing things. He is precise, focused and sorted. Rahul and I are working after 18 years and I am really excited to see how we looked back then versus now! (laughs) Apart from us, the movie has a huge cast including Koushik Sen, Ananya, Paran, Kharaj. The music is given by Anupam Roy. Sayantan is a very promising director. It is a thriller and people love seeing puzzles being solved.”
It was Rahul’s first day of shoot and in a conversation with t2, the actor said: “When Ritu and I worked in Anuranan in 2006, we got along very easily as human beings. She has been around for almost 30 years and she has kept her grace and dignity. She is the one who reached out to me about the film, spoke to the director and she is the one who has been working to make this happen. She is the real casting person and production person.”
The story of Madam Sengupta, adds Rahul, has its own political slant and there is an opinion. “My character is not sensitised, has no interest in culture and art and lives only for money. So, I said this is interesting... to play a person who is obsessed with money is as far away from me as a person as it could be. He just exists and cares about money. Ritu’s character and my character have been out of touch for 13 years so I thought of my real-life friends who I have been out of touch with and they are people who I would have an electric communication with if they came back into my lives tomorrow. You have to find the predominant shade of that character somewhere in you or in someone very close to you. That sliver you find in yourself or someone else becomes the shade of the entire character. My character’s gaze about everything is distant because he does not care,” he added. We asked Rahul what would he do if he had been a journalist for a day in real life. “If I would have been a journalist for a day, I would definitely cover sports and politics,” smiled Rahul.
Considering that adventure, investigative, and mystery thrillers are Sayantan’s forte, the director said that he grew up reading detective stories. “Most of the stuff I watch now are murder mysteries, adventures and thrillers. Rahul and Ritudi coming together is a unique thing about this film and he is there in almost all scenes with Anurekha. We also revisited the script when Rahul came on board and several engaging action elements were added. Ritudi has never played the role of an investigator before. However, it is made more interesting because she plays a cartoonist and there is a link to Sukumar Ray’s Abol Tabol. The climax will be shot in North Bengal,” said Sayantan.