Anirban Bhattacharya is riding high on the phenomenal success of his first directorial series Mandaar, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The prolific actor turned director is now all set to woo the audience with his debut feature film Ballabhpurer Roopkotha that blends the genres of horror and comedy by pulling inspiration from the play of thespian Badal Sarkar.
As the film releases today at the theatres, The Statesman got into a candid conversation with director Anirban Bhattacharya on his idea of experimenting with the genre.
The film is an adaptation of Badal Sarkar’s play. What made you think ‘I want to make a film out of it’? What sparked the idea?
I was being told to make a film for the big screen and we were brainstorming on several ideas, not specifically from literature but we were developing ideas for original content as well. So we presented three to four stories as such and it was the producer who chose Ballabhpurer Roopkotha. They thought this play has an entertaining value which is quite important for big screen. And that’s how we started working on the film script.
Was it a conscious effort to make a light-hearted film after Mandaar to change the taste of the audience?
We had this in mind that we would do something different from Mandaar. When you start fleshing out an idea, you never want to make it the most obvious. We wondered why not a comedy, but again we didn’t want it to look cliché.
Though titled ‘Ballabhpurer Roopkotha’, it’s not a fantasy but a horror-comedy. Does it pitch a distraction from the real world or still has the relevance factor?
It’s a period piece but not an escape from the real world. The story is set on the 60’s but strangely the characters are very real people and not created or perceived from any supernatural thoughts. They are rooted in reality, so yes, the relevance factor is there.
What are the parameters you kept in mind while directing your first feature film?
While directing a web series we can explore the layers in great depth because it doesn’t have a specific running time, but in films we don’t get that scope. We need to tell the story from scratch just within 2 to 3 hours. Also the timeline of the film shouldn’t appear to be fast-paced or unnecessarily stretched. This is the first challenge of making a feature film, acing the art of inevitability. Another parameter we focus on is the entertainment factor in terms of storyline, performance, visuals and very importantly on sound and music. We are catering to a wider mass so the content should be apt for a community watch.
What according to you is the most difficult factor in executing comedy?
The most difficult thing to achieve in a comedy film is the rhythm, with which the story progresses. You are shooting it in cut shots, so it becomes very obvious that at some point the rhythm gets distorted. And if you are shooting for a comedy then a slight rhythm break can distract the audience and it won’t trigger the fun element. So maintaining that is the trickiest part.
Balancing the tone of horror and comedy becomes the real ball game. In your case how was the approach?
My cinematographer Soumik Halder and sound designer Anindit Roy worked out the entire process and made ends meet to strike the right balance between the tones of horror and comedy. While crafting the script I had a very subtle approach and briefed that out to them. I think when you are making a horror comedy, every element count the balance of its tones and not just the script. Visual and sound plays the real game when it comes to the convincing factor.
After Mandaar people have high expectations from director Anirban. Does it create pressure to meet up the expectation level?
I won’t deny that success comes with pressure and high expectations, that is definitely there but if you constantly think of exceeding the expectations, you won’t be able to work properly. What I do is I try to empty my mind and return to zero, conceptually to forget the pre-conceived notions and to ease out the pressure. We try to come out from the resonance of success of our previous work and start the next project from the scratch.
Do you draw inspiration from literature? Who inspires you the most?
People inspire me the most. It can be any character from a novel, a stranger I meet on the street or it can be someone close to me. But definitely literature do inspire me because I have been an avid reader of Bengali literature and people from literary novels, plays or even characters from cinema inspire me a lot.
How was it directing Satyam da and Surangana?
Oh it was an amazing experience working with them. I have watched both of their works earlier and had confidence that they can deliver this the way I wanted. We had many sessions before shoot to figure out their looks and prepare them for the characters. I learnt it from my experience with Rina di that the actors should be well briefed beforehand so that they can don the characters seamlessly.
How you thought of designing the soundscape?
I am a little bit obsessed with sounds and Anindit Roy, our sound designer designed the soundscape in a way that brought the scenes to life in an audio-realistic way. My sound team including Subhadeep, our music director is best to create a world of acoustic milieu instantly by accommodating elements of audio aesthetics and effects. And because it’s a fairytale we tried to keep the approach a bit experimental in terms of visuals and sound.
What else is in the work front?
Now I want to get back to acting taking a break from direction. I got involved in the making process so much that it’s been a long time I am away from acting. Few works are lined up so I hope people will get to see me act in the coming year.