INTERVIEW
‘I had a good story and I wanted to tell it’

Novelist Jayabrato Chatterjee tells Shoma A. Chatterji on his coming back to feature films after 22 years

Award-winning novelist Jayabrato Chatterjee has waited for two decades to make his second feature film (in English) Lovesongs — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, with stalwarts like Jaya Bachchan, Om Puri and Mallika Sarabhai.his first feature film Kehkashaa (1985) received critical acclaim. Over the years, he has written and directed more than 50 documentaries and training films, short features and telefilms for NGOs in India and Bangladesh in the areas of disability, women’s empowerment and education for slum children. His first novel, Last Train to Innocence (1995) won the Hawthornden Award in Scotland. The second novel, Beyond all Heavens received good reviews as well. Excerpts from an interview:

The sheer madness for making cinema! I had a good story and I wanted to tell it on celluloid. What also worked was the co-operation of wonderful producers, with people like Jaya-di, Om, Mallika, Rajit and June, who are dear friends. They have worked absolutely free for the film.

English is such an integral part today of Indian languages that it can’t any longer be claimed by Englishmen as their personal property. My story deals with people who would, naturally, speak in English as well as in Bengali. The film reflects the melting pot of languages that Indian society is today. Also, it is a language that can claim a much wider audience in India and abroad.

The story, the screenplay and the lyrics are mine. Except the use of a translation (mine again) of Tagore’s Ekla Chalo re and two traditional ghazals, one penned by Mir Taqui Mir and the other by Momin Khan Momin. The story is actually about a grandmother and her grandson. Mridula’s daughter represents the in-between second generation. It is about understanding and compassion. I believe that all relationships have to be based on a better understanding of human nature, its limitations, its dreams and nightmares, and ultimately its journey through life.

Usha is the only person I know as a dear friend who has known the music of quintessential Park Street the way it used to be. She has been part of it, lived it, breathed it and given it immortal soul. Usha is a sensitive, fun-loving human being who has understood my story with tears in her eyes and laughter on her lips. Besides Latino Jazz and Blues, she has even made two ghazals come alive as never before. Indian cinema has always used music as part of its emotional content, a la Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Guru Dutt and other film directors who have left behind timeless classics. That is the musical journey my film is hoping to take.

Filmmaking is a very expensive effort. I, as the leader of the creative team, give it direction. I like to sit with my actors and explain every nuance of the character they are playing. Then I leave it to them to interpret it. With newcomers, I often act out the sequence so that it becomes easier for them to understand the scene. I love dialogue improvisations. And Jaya-di is a past master at making any written dialogue come alive with spoken nuances and silences pregnant with meaning. It was an honour working with her, Om and Mallika. Working with Jaya-di, Om and Mallika was wonderful. As actors of the highest calibre, they gave their best. And as sensitive, compassionate human beings, they left their indelible impression on my film, which I will always cherish.

Shahana has been an integral part of the project. Yes, this is Shahana’s debut as an actress. It is the best gift I could give my daughter. I think, she has done a great job in, especially in her scenes with Jaya-di, which are intense.

The film should be released early next year. It will be for the international market. I guess we should have about 50 prints doing the rounds in India. It is for the multiplex market and for a niche, urban audience.

The distribution system has changed, so much for the better, with the coming of multiplexes. It has opened up huge avenues for filmmakers to experiment. Soumik Halder is director of cinematography, Partha Barman has done the sound design and Sujay Dutta-Roy is editing the film. June Malliah and Rajit Kapoor and Doel Basu are among the rest of the acting cast.

Subtly, yes, there is a message. Of love and compassion — knowing always that the gift of love never really dies. It just moves from one darkness into another, looking for light and exuding fresh fragrance. — TWF

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