The shooting for Raj Chakraborty’s new film with Mithun Chakraborty and Ritwick Chakraborty is underway. As we stepped out of the elevator on the ninth floor of The V (a luxe residential skyscraper in Rajarhat) with a spectacular view of the skyline of Calcutta, we heard Raj say, “Silence!”. Mithun got ready for a shot where a man from the laundry service was giving him clean clothes while charging him Rs 520 for the same. Made in neutral shades, the apartment setting looked chic and highly refined with Renaissance paintings, lavish furniture, minimalist styles adding the “upper middle class” persona to the set.
Dressed in a white shirt and black coat, Mithun looked smart as he gave shot after shot with his famous energy. The entire room gasped in awe as the veteran actor slightly teared up in a nostalgic scene where he was having a conversation with a long-lost friend over a video call. He said: “I still remember our golden days and can never forget them.”
The family drama revolves around the story of an aging father played by Mithun Chakraborty and his middle-aged son, played by Ritwick Chakraborty. While Ritwick’s character, Indrajit Bose lives in a plush Rajarhat apartment with his modern and independent wife and little son, his father (Mithun) lives all by himself in a different house. When we dropped in at the shoot on Wednesday, the venue depicted Indrajit’s house. Notably, Raj who is the man behind numerous blockbusters, has always been a huge fan of Mithun and this will be the first film where the duo are officially coming together. Subhashree Ganguly also stars in the film.
Mithun in conversation with Ritwick
While speaking about the film, Raj said: “The story that we are narrating through this film, is a story that is happening right now with eight out of 10 families. It is a story that feels familiar. It is a very common belief that parents have that when their children grow up they will be their pillars of support and the parents will not have to worry about anything. But several times we have seen that when that child grows up, he forgets the roots. He is so engrossed in living his individualistic life and enjoying the present that he forgets where he came from and what he left behind. There is this one line that parents always tell us that you will only understand the role of parents when you become parents. As children, none of us paid heed to that statement but I think we all realise this at some point or the other. In fact, even I realised how important a child is to their parents when I became a father.”
He added, “Whenever we go to apartments in and around Calcutta, we see that the G plus three floors do not have lifts. All the old people living in these flats have grown-up children who are either working abroad or staying in different high-rise apartments in places like Newtown and stay busy with their respective nuclear families. However, amidst their busy lives these children have completely forgotten about their parents. They will send the required amount of money but they do not care to check how their parents are climbing up the stairs without a lift. Children often take parents for granted and that was depicted in the scene (the man from the laundry service gives Mithun clothes and asks if he has changed the curtains) we shot today too. There are no antagonists in this film, it is for the audience to decide. The storyteller’s job is to weave the story around characters, not make antagonists.”
Raj added that he is a fan of actor Mithun Chakraborty and will always be so! “He is a one-take artiste and as a person directing him, you cannot be confused. You must be well-prepared and do your homework (smiles). We have been associated with each other since 2006 but this will be our first fictional project together. When he gives a shot, I stay mesmerised. There have been shots where I have ended up crying after seeing him on the camera! (Raj also got emotional as Mithun acted in a nostalgic scene) Apart from Mithunda, Ritwick is doing an amazing job. We also have Anusuadi, Sohini Sengupta, Biswajit Chakraborty, Ahona Dutta among others who are brilliant actors. It is through all our combined efforts that we will deliver a good film and I am very excited that I am working with SVF after a long time and they have trusted me with the responsibility of making a film on such a topic,” added Raj.
Dressed in a silk blue kurta with golden motifs, Ritwick looked handsome as he got ready for a party scene. It is also his first film with Mithun. He said: “When I first met Mithunda on the set, he told me he loved my work. I am playing the role of an upper middle class man in the film and I don’t generally do these roles. Ahona plays the role of my wife but from our characters, you can get multiple other shades apart from just being husband and wife. Be it selfishness or other negative shades, those traits justify the entire script. When you see my character, he will not look like a stereotypically bad person. He is a person you have met before. He is one of us.”
Ritwick added, “According to me, whenever Mithun Chakraborty is there in a movie, that itself is a distinguishing factor. Moreover, with the presence of a veteran like him, we don’t just get to witness his outstanding work... it also affects the rest of the project while adding to the discipline and seriousness on the set. Raj has been making beautiful films that resonate with larger masses over the last couple of years and this film has a similar feeling. I also believe that this is one of the most hardcore family dramas that I have ever done. This film has a higher level of approach to a family drama as compared to other such films that we see in Bengali.”
Sanjali Brahma