Arjunn Dutta's next film Guldasta unites three Tolly powerhouses

Arjunn Dutta’s next film brings together Arpita Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee and Debjani Chatterjee, and we caught up with the director to know more 
Arpita, Swastika and Debjani at the unveiling of Guldasta
Arpita, Swastika and Debjani at the unveiling of Guldasta

Arjunn Dutta may only be a few films old - his first feature film, ‘Abyakto’, a coming-of-age drama revolving around the ineffable nuances between a mother and a son, starred Arpita Chatterjee, Adil Hussain and Anubhav Kanjilal , and can easily be held up as one of the most promising debuts of this decade. While ‘Abyakto’ is raking in quite the cred along the global festival circuits, it is yet to see a commercial release. Meanwhile, Dutta is already back on the shooting floor with his next venture with one of the most accomplished ensemble cast we've seen in a while. His next outing, titled ‘Guldasta’, is a story of three women titled Srirupa, Dolly and Renu, whose narratives are interlinked in some way. Playing these roles are three of the most reliable names in showbiz, Swastika Mukherjee, Arpita Chatterjee and Debjani Chatterjee.

<em>Debjani and Arjunn at  ITC Sonar</em>
Debjani and Arjunn at  ITC Sonar

Incidentally, his 2016 short film ‘The 6th Element’ which chronicles the story of queer love between two women, made it to the Short Film Corner at Cannes. Women have been Arjunn’s trustiest subjects since he took up his seat behind the camera, and when we caught up with the helmer at the unveiling of ‘Guldasta's’ title at ITC Sonar, we asked him about the challenges of penning women characters."I feel writing about women is my comfort zone, I have been in the presence of women like my mum, my grandmother since I was a kid, and I understand them and the stories come out quite organically. When it comes to the women in Guldasta, I've seen the characters up close in real life," Arjunn tells us, during the post-soiree high tea.

<em>Swastika looks like a million bucks at the Guldasta unveiling</em>
Swastika looks like a million bucks at the Guldasta unveiling

Interestingly, though the crucial details about the script are under wraps, two out of three protagonists in Guldasta are played by actors who have already worked with him in the past. Arpita was, of course, seen playing Saathi, the mother in Abyakto, while Debjani has consistently been seen in all of Dutta's films. In fact, Debjani revealed that Dutta practically considers her his lady luck. And Dutta reveals that the ensemble came together purely for the sake of the script.

"I never really intended to bring these three amazing actors together, my focus was always on the characters, and the roles these women would play, and it all developed quite naturally. They all fit their characters to the T," we are told. We, of course, had to ask the director about Abyakto and the global accolades it has been acquiring for quite a while now. Not only did Dutta reveal that the film releases by this year-end, but he also opened up about the international reception. "Abyakto found a fantastic reception across the world, I truly feel blessed about it. Just last month, it won the audience choice award at the Indo-German Film week in Berlin and so it's been really great," he adds.

Guldasta is scheduled to release next year.

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