It was a crisis at home that led filmmaker Raj Chakraborty to come up with the idea for his upcoming film Habji Gabji.
"My niece stays with us since she was a little girl and when she was a teenager a few years back, we noticed certain distinct changes in her. She was always immersed in a virtual world, drowned in her mobile phone and any attempt to take her phone away would be met with severe protests. Later, we discovered she was hooked on violent video games and she played all night with other virtual friends. I realized she was not an isolated case and mobile game addiction affected almost every other child her age," tells Raj.
Raj's film Habji Gabji, that releases next week in theatres, deals with the dangerous consequences of mobile addiction among children, which several global studies prove to be more damaging a disease than even deadly cancer, leading to long term mental development issues. "When I decided to make a film on this, further research revealed there were also instances of suicide and murder in extreme cases. I always try to make films that touch upon the contemporary societal issues and I think currently mobile game addiction is a very relevant topic, especially after these two years of the pandemic," adds Raj.
Starring Subhashree Ganguly and Parambrata Chattopadhyay in the lead, this film shows how a happy nuclear family consisting of a child and working parents lands up in a deep crisis because of mobile addiction. "I wrote the story before the pandemic struck and developed the script with Padmanabha Dasgupta, who also acts in the film," tells Raj.
Raj tells there's a thriller element in the film which shows what happens to the family as a repercussion of an apparently benign addiction. "I think the film is more pertinent to the parents and elders because children always imitate their elders. Often, due to work-related fatigue, we are not left with enough energy to spend time with our children, who wait eagerly all day for their parents to return from work. As an easy way out, we give them the phone without realising the long term harm we are causing them," he explains.
So, how do Raj and his wife, actor Subhashree control screen time at home when it comes to their toddler, Yuvaan? "We try to engage him in different activities and replace a colourful dynamic mobile phone with an equally attractive and colourful toy. And at times, we simply take him for a walk in the park," tells the doting father.
Post Habji Gabji, we will see another relevant movie directed by Raj-- Dharmajuddho – that’s slated for release this August. "It's on the effects of politically driven communal riots on the common man. This film is not a political saga but we are talking about our country, society and humanity as a whole," signs off the TMC MLA, who is also the chairman of the Kolkata International Film Festival.
Habji Gabji release on June 3.