Director Pausali Sengupta has been in the industry with an expertise of almost eighteen years of directing, writing, producing, and much more. This graduate of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute is all set to bring to silver-screen her latest directorial Suchana- the beginning, where she is also the producer through Pongila Productions founded with her sister. She introduces debutants Rup Deb and Megha Mukherjee through the characters of Binu and Sumi respectively and takes the audience to the picturesque hills where magic and mystery co-exist. We catch up with Pausali on the movie and more.
Excerpts:
How did the idea of Suchana develop?
This idea developed in two ways. Firstly, I had spent my childhood in the hills of Kalimpong. It is part of my childhood and psyche. So, whenever I go to the hills, it comes back to me. Second, my sister Avinanda and I are both related to teaching and we deal a lot with people who are now between the age group of 18-25 years. We have noticed that there is a big gap in that age group where everything exists save one’s identity. Suchana is a kind of communication for that age-group. This is how the concept came into being.
What made you lock Rup and Megha in lead roles?
I go by the story and the characters that I am looking for. So auditions, trying to understand from where the actors are coming and how much they can be taught or are willing to learn and grow, are primary. I saw that they [Rup and Megha] will be able to do it. The fresh faces actually helped my characters.
How did you make the hills a character in the movie?
The protagonist Sumi [played by Megha] is actually going through a psychological journey. When she goes to the hills, the space, the calm, the noiseless environment and the vastness of nature; actually makes you feel how small you are compared to the entirety of things; and that brings out a lot of layers in all of us. Actually the hills are a character in the films. Binu [played by Rup] can be an imaginary character but the hills are the real characters.
Tell us about the soundtrack?
The soundtrack is the soul of the film. I have come to films because of my love for music and stories. So it’s a concoction of the two that creates the audio-visual automatically in a human mind. Also, when I write, I probably think about the song then and there. Arko Sen who is the music director is a long time friend. He’s a classical musician but we have dragged him to create music for this film. The soundtrack has come up as part of the story; it is not a separate entity.
Suchana releases in theatres on July 26