바카라�I wanted to give something back to my parents바카라� | Interview with the makers of 바카라�Baksho Bondi바카라�

Tanushree: At first, it wasn바카라�t a film at all. It was a dream I바카라�d had바카라�about my Maa at our old house바카라�the ones which had a roof without a parapet. It was around Kalboishakhi바카라�when it usually rains in Kolkata. It바카라�s about to start raining, and Maa is running to take all the clothes down as fast as she can. She was afraid I바카라�ll fall, so she바카라�s also holding me simultaneously. Meanwhile, we바카라�re also getting trapped among the flying clothes. From this hectic moment, it suddenly becomes this beautiful moment when the rain comes and down and we all embrace.  

When I met Somo (Saumyananda Sahi) at FTII (Film & Television of Institute of India), we connected over the films we loved. I told him about this dream, which I바카라�d written down. That was the beginning. We started off with the intent to explore how my Maa managed to do everything that she did and, as a result, explore how mothers in general are able to do so much. This resilience and love바카라�how they keep families together irrespective of the challenges around them.  

Somo: The script went through many iterations바카라�there were many dreams that eventually didn바카라�t make it to the final film. But as Tillotama (Shome) likes to say, the ghosts of the many dreams, drafts stayed on. The residue of these dreams and drafts have somewhat made it to her final performance. To go back to your question, there바카라�s a wealth of experiences and observations that Tanushree brought to the film. It바카라�s shot where she grew up (in Barrackpore, West Bengal); it바카라�s in her locality. The film also had some of my experiences while growing up바카라�I had a friend, whose father thought he was God. He would disrupt classes sometimes, but the son바카라�who was about 8-9 years old at the time바카라�was very protective if someone laughed at his father. Often, he played the role of a parent to his own father. At some point, the father got run over by a train after he tried to stop it on the tracks. It was a strong memory I had about the family, and I tried to explore the pride my friend had about his father, the marriage, and to imagine this family unit seen from inside, with love. 

Tanushree: After we became parents ourselves. Somo and I started writing the film around then. There were a bunch of things we wanted to explore바카라�the residue of violence, mental health, not from a clinical angle, but as something more personal and emotional. We were trying to understand as we wrote the film, and the short film format felt too little in time to explore these complicated ideas. We might have written thousands of drafts of the film. We were talking about how it is to be parents and how it can only be understood by actually becoming parents. Our child was born in 2016, and it transformed us as people. Suddenly, questions which were huge began to make sense from an emotional point-of-view. It바카라�s what gave us that much more assurance about what we wanted to explore in terms of themes and subjects within the film.    

Somo: We didn바카라�t have a story idea when we began. We had images, dreams as our inspiration바카라�that image of a woman on a bicycle, which is a very common image if you go to Barrackpore. Most women who go to work use a bicycle. There바카라�s no parking lot near the railway station바카라�it바카라�s a bicycle stand. When we were writing, we didn바카라�t write dialogue, we didn바카라�t write a story arc. Instead, we focused on scenes. We knew the plot points that would be the fulcrum of the film, but we were more interested in the moments in between the two plot points.

Naren: It always starts with a certain degree of faith. There바카라�s optimism, and a pragmatic way of looking at the system where such a film can be a profitable enterprise. That바카라�s why we tried to find a newer model of production, where people바카라�based on the script, and the body of work that both Tansushree and Somo represent바카라�were eager to come on board. I think all of us were optimistic that this film had something at its core that was extremely strong.  

We have 15 producers on board, which speaks to the difficulty of mounting an independent project. Having all these people allowed us to spread the risk because filmmaking is an expensive undertaking. Distributing the risk makes it that much more feasible, but also having these many producers on board also allows the film to draw that much more from the varied expertise of individuals바카라�whether actors, directors, colorists바카라�they all bring their wealth of experience. It all helps in taking a finished film and finding the best way to distribute it and finding its audience. One does see value in it and the people you바카라�re collaborating with, because it바카라�s a long journey. It바카라�s taken us 8 years to get here, and it might still not be over yet. 

Shaunak: It바카라�s a misnomer to assume that they바카라�re mutually exclusive categories: where it바카라�s either a cinephilic passion project, or a pragmatic decision. What some of us are finding is that if you바카라�re able to mount a 바카라�good바카라� film, it바카라�s also strangely pragmatic. In the mainstream market, where everything is apparently blown to smithereens, I don't think there are 바카라�safe바카라� bets anymore. So, one might as well place their bets on a film that one likes. 

As happened with my last film, the festival route is the fastest way to find global distribution. At a time when most of our mainstream friends are bemoaning the lack of certitude about what works and what doesn바카라�t, so even if one didn바카라�t have a Berlinale in one바카라�s kitty, the horizon of the market feels stable enough if the film itself is good. And like in this case, since the molten core of the film was the script and the directors, we had faith in them as consummate professionals. So, there were none of the staple doubts that one has when it comes to first timers (usually craft-based), given their immense craft muscle. Also, it바카라�s Naren바카라�s tremendous acumen as a producer that allowed us to reach this point with 15 producers. In fact, having a legion of producers for this film means that our risk exposure was mitigated. And now, contributions have been expanded in not just monetary form. Therefore, it was never quite as scary as one would imagine because we had skin in the game바카라�spiritually and creatively. 

Naren: If you look at the last couple of years, films like Girls Will Be Girls (2024), All We Imagine As Light (2024), they바카라�re good films. And they바카라�ve found distribution at a global level, and also back home. They바카라�re profitable films. Speaking to Shaunak바카라�s point about the larger uncertainty at the commercial end of the aisle, there might be less uncertainty on this side of the aisle바카라�if you have faith, you can make a good film, it will find an audience and it will make money. 

Somo: We바카라�d seen Monsoon Wedding (2001), Qissa (2013)바카라�the usual ones for Tillotama. We바카라�d seen Fire in the Mountains (2021) [for Chandan Bisht], but I saw it after we finished writing. My first acquaintance with Chandan was on Trial by Fire, where he바카라�d played a very small role. I바카라�d shot him before seeing his work. There was something magnetic and mysterious about him, almost giving me the feeling I didn바카라�t know much about this person. It was because of this mystery that I spoke to him, and he told me that he바카라�d already worked on a film. I watched it, and we discovered there were other parallels too바카라�he was from Uttarakhand. His relatives had been in the army, which was a very fortuitous detail바카라�especially the dishonourable discharge of a veteran. There바카라�s this line by Bresson, where he says that the key to good casting is people who will take you where you want to go. I think many things aligned with respect to Chandan stepping into the shoes of Sundar. Especially, if they bring their own memories into it, then all the better for it. Tillotama is someone who we thought of while writing the part바카라� 

Tanushree: We didn바카라�t think we could ask her to star in the film. 

Somo: When we were filming Anamika (Haksar)바카라�s film [Ghode ko Jalebi Khilane Le Jaa Riya Hoon (2019)], the body of a person who works was interesting. Someone who has a very frail frame, but they lift a heavy piece of iron. Tillotama, with her puny frame, is so much larger than she is in real life.

Naren was friends with her, and when we finished the script, he sent it to her for feedback. When he nudged her to share feedback, it was when we gathered the courage to tell her it was actually written for her. She바카라�d played the character of a domestic help, but it was just one characteristic here. There바카라�s much more interiority to Maya, which she brings. Tillotama also found a lot of parallels in her own life, given that she was a caregiver around th

Tanushree: Yes. I wanted to bring that difference of who they were. She not only fell in love with someone, but she also fell in love with someone who looks like an outsider. A lot of Nepali, Pahadi people are in the armies. So, we were exploring that he could possibly be from Nagaland바카라�someone who looks distinctly different from a Bengali, something that wouldn바카라�t be as noticeable if the character was from Assam. Then, while doing our research, we found that a lot of the army veterans come from Uttarakhand.  

And I would like to add I hadn바카라�t seen Fire in the Mountains then. We did a Whatsapp call with Chandan bhai, and there was this world inside of him. He would suddenly become like a kid, sometimes he would be all proper. I was fascinated by his depth, and I believe a lot in muscle memory바카라�because I바카라�ve been a theatre actor바카라�and I believe what바카라�s there inside you will reflect on screen. The camera sees it. All these nuances of culture, caste바카라�I think we get it as Indians. 

Tanushree: No. It was always in Bengali. A lot of the exploration in the film is very personal. I바카라�m a very proud daughter of a father who we lost early. It was very late that we understood he had been battling depression all his life. We always wondered why life was so hard, even though my parents had had a love marriage. And it was only towards the end that we understood why things were so hard for my mother, and what my father must have gone through. I regret not realising it earlier, but I바카라�ll always be proud of all he could바카라�ve become if we바카라�d understood him sooner. I wanted to give something back to my parents, Somo was my ally; he바카라�s also the son-in-law. Naren never asked us to make it accessible, he truly gave us all the freedom we could바카라�ve wanted. 

Somo: Many full circles with this film. 

Naren: (laughs) The first film I was an Executive Producer on (Balekampa), it was out of curiosity of putting a project together. Then Somo approached me바카라�given that we바카라�d collaborated earlier and knew each other바카라�and asked me if I would be interested. At that point, I said with a lot of trepidation, 바카라�Yes, why not!바카라� He said he needed a name on a form, and if I would be interested. It바카라�s snowballed since and what I realised is that I바카라�d been a part of the industry for long. I've worked on dozens of independent films, and I come from a certain amount of privilege, which I think lent itself to a certain amount of responsibility. There바카라�s such a mycelium network that you start to tap into as a creative professional, because it바카라�s already such a tight-knit community, and has its own silos. I thought if there was a way to bring it all together, there might be a more efficient way of making films we believe in.  

Fundamentally, with the influx of streaming, I thought there was a way to work on a different kind of a project. And it felt like you바카라�d have to actively play a part in bringing them to fruition. That바카라�s why we started Moonweave, where we primarily work with new filmmakers. We바카라�re trying to support diverse voices. After a point it became a kind of a no-brainer that if you connect these dots, you바카라�ll get a project off the ground. If you have the opportunity, then why not do it?

Shaunak: Firstly, referring to your earlier question to Naren, are there better ways to lose money? Can you think of more pleasurable ways to lose money than it being poured into a film? I can바카라�t. Aman (Mann) and I started producing documentaries바카라�which is a hyper specific way of raising money i.e. grants, co-production markets, or private equity. It바카라�s such a tiny group of people with the know-how that it only felt natural that we should expand to production. Also, by the end of All That Breathes (2022), I바카라�d had enough of the real world, so I wanted to move to fiction. Since I had a few emotional eggs in the documentary basket, we came on board in different capacities. 

In terms of surprises, you usually have a vague hunch about the things you might be involved with. But we had a sturdy captain of the ship in Naren, and very little trickled down to the rest of us. We바카라�ve been very fortunate that way. It바카라�s a very different kind of skin in the game바카라�when you바카라�re a director, most times it feels like your life depends on it. Which it also feels like when you바카라�re a producer: but it바카라�s different because you바카라�re also thinking about the longer arc of the film바카라�where will it land, where will it premiere etc. So, it바카라�s a different neuron cluster that gets fired. I found out that I really enjoy it바카라�it바카라�s not bureaucratic or pedantic. 

Somo: Considering we바카라�d been a part of many crews바카라�as cinematographers, gaffers, editors바카라�we had a very detailed roadmap for the film till its final-cut stage. What we knew conceptually, but something we weren바카라�t quite prepared for, was the journey after it바카라�s made. But it바카라�s like Shaunak says, you start using different neuron clusters in your brain, and you begin to enjoy that. It바카라�s new to us, for me personally.  

Tanushree: This is truly a surprise to me바카라�the kind of support we바카라�ve got from our producers. A lot of people are telling me how it바카라�s unprecedented, but I바카라�ve been surprised by just how different our producers are. Naren has brought them together, and the generosity they바카라�ve offered to the film is something I바카라�m grateful for.  

Somo: One last thing, we spent a lot of time preparing for is a scene where Tillotama is surrounded by street dogs. Naren had told us to take that scene out of the film, saying how will we do this scene? We don바카라�t have money for VFX, Tillotama바카라�s safety, do we need to get dog trainers? We thought of doing it through sound alone. We budgeted for all of it on our Excel sheet. Then on the shoot, when it came to shooting the scene, we were following her character on the bicycle all night. We took 15-minute takes of whichever way Maya wanted to go on her bicycle (in search of her husband), and at some point, I got tired, and I stopped chasing her. But the camera was still rolling, and she got surrounded by some barking dogs. I love shooting documentaries because you바카라�re receptive to such gifts, meanwhile fiction is usually riddled with disappointments because you go in with set expectations, and something usually goes wrong.