JOIN USThe National Award winning director Buddhadeb Dasgupta is these days busy with the post-production of his film Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa. It is the fourth Hindi film by the director who has spent more than two decades in Bengali cinema.
“The story for Anwar... has been in my mind since the last two years but I got busy in making Trayodoshi, based on 13 poems of Rabindranath Tagore for Doordarshan,” says Buddhadeb. “I had a face in mind while writing the script and until that time I was sure of making a Bengali film. But when I saw Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a film, everything changed. I found my Anwar and it changed my decision to go ahead with my film – in Hindi.”
“I was looking for an ordinary man and that turned out to be Nawaz. He is not like other superstars. He may look ordinary but when you look at him carefully he has got beautiful eyes which speak. Secondly, he is a talented actor who can carry off the script. So, he was my final choice,” says the director.
But association of another prominent personality makes this film a big project. He is Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty, the sound designer of the film. “He was never in my mind because I knew I could not afford him,” says Buddhadeb. “But I met him in Goa last year. Within a few days I got a call from him and he said he wants to work with me. I honestly told him that I cannot pay his bills or give him his salary. But he said he will manage it on his own. I truly respect him for this, ” says Buddhadeb.
It isn’t for nothing that Resul came on board on his own for Buddhadeb’s film. He is one of the most sought after directors in Indian cinema today and what makes him different from others is his way of storytelling. “I try to portray time and what lies beneath it,” says Buddhadeb. “Each one of us live in two worlds, one which is visible to the people present around us and the other one is secretive. Nobody knows about the journey we cover in this second world and it is this world with which we relate ourselves the most.”
Probably his films are influenced by this personal philosophical yet spiritual approach towards filmmaking. “Any creative person can touch the heart of the people, make them nostalgic through his art only if believes in certain philosophies or reaches a height of spirituality. Both philosophy and spirituality make you an extra-ordinary person.”
Does this ideology keep him away from making commercial films? “I do make commercial films but they are my kind of films. Till the time I am able to make money from them, they are all commercial. But I cannot compromise with my script just to earn money. The images of a story come from within my soul. However, at the same time I need to cater to my audience and make them enjoy the film too.”