Actors Nussrat Jahan and Yash Daasguptaa take us through their latest film Aarii as they flaunt two exclusive summer party looks for Indulge

Yash: This film has been our brainchild, from the beginning. We were a part of it right from the time of inception.

Nussrat: Once Sentimentaaal released, I kept asking Yash, “What’s next?” He takes his own sweet time to come to a solution to what can be more appealing to the audience and he did take a lot of time to think of a story. And then he came up with the simplest of stories and said, “I’m going to make a film on a relationship between parents and their children, and most importantly, between mother and son.” There’s no one on earth who cannot relate to a mother-child bond. It’s something so celestially beautiful and Yash wanted to capture that tale on screen.

Yash: It’s a tribute to all the mothers who have been there for us, supported us, blessed us, took all the troubles for us. This film is way more personal than professional for me and for her (Nussrat). Of course, there’s a commercial aspect to filmmaking, but for us, it also has a predominantly emotional aspect.

Nussrat: I’m so glad that you observed it because that is exactly what we wanted to achieve. Yash wanted to bridge the gap between the so-called commercial and the intelligent urban content. But creating a content that looks and feels larger-than-life was something tricky.

Yash: Since I have done a lot of commercial films, for me, to tone down that commercial aspect as an actor was the real challenge. When it comes to the story, it’s based on the fact that when we lose someone, we realise there are so many things that are still left unsaid. That happened when I lost my mother a couple of years back. So, this film is also kind of cathartic for me, as it felt like I could tell the things I wanted to tell her through this film. And if she’s up there watching this film, it’s my way of communicating with her.

Nussrat: We wanted the film to be content-driven, yet have that glossy, shiny feel about it, filled with moments that are bright. We want to give the audience an audio-visual treat.

Yash: All my life I’ve been extremely close to my mother. She was the one I used to spend all my time with. I used to sleep next to her on the same bed till I was about 25 years old. So enacting my role was almost natural. Most of my scenes were with Moushumi Chatterjee, who plays my on-screen mother, and right from the beginning, there was a mother-son rapport. It never felt like we were acting.

Nussrat: It is a beautiful question; I would want you (Yash) to take it.

Yash: I would want you (Nussrat) to answer it.

Nussrat: The day I witnessed Moushumi Chatterjee and his relationship off-screen, I went up and told him that I’ve read something about trauma-bond—where people bond over something similar that they have gone through. He lost his mom whom he was closest to, and she lost a daughter, and she didn’t want to talk about it when she met us. Sometimes it happens that when you probably don’t want to share your inner traumas and difficulties, they stay cooped up inside. So, I think they somehow bonded over that. When you see that on screen, it is so beautiful and it is going to turn out to be one of their best performances.

Yash: It was so natural with Moushumi Chatterjee playing my mother. During a scene, when I used to cry, she too would start crying. It used to all happen naturally. Though we are acting, the emotions were way too real and raw for both of us.

Yash: I think we have a bond now. Usually, for us actors, once the film is over, we don’t really stay in touch. But I think we have formed a relationship with Moushumi that goes way beyond this film. I know when she calls me up, she is going to talk to me for the next one hour.

Nussrat: It’s an honour to work with a living legend like Moushumi Chatterjee. She exudes so much warmth that to break the ice was so smooth and easy. For her, Yash was like a real son and she would pull my leg saying, “You’ve cast a spell on my son” (laughs).

Yash: If I can answer that, Nussrat’s part in the film was the trickiest because it’s not just about a writer. Her character in this film breaks the fourth wall and interacts with the audience directly.

Nussrat: My character sees the story evolving through her eyes and yes, she is a writer. But for the rest, I think let the audience watch the film and find out.

Nussrat: I think ‘superstar’ is a perception. I don’t think artistes give themselves the tag of superstars, it’s the audience. But honestly, I do not believe the superstar era is over yet.

Yash: The term ‘superstar’ has been there right from the beginning but I feel in Bengal, especially, people connect more with girl-next-door or boy-next-door kind of actors, and not superstars.

Nussrat: Currently, we’re watching Dynasty together.

Yash: We worked together for the first time in 2016 in One. We worked just as colleagues back then and she used to be really sweet, adjusting, and had zero tantrums. Now, after opening our own production house, she has been always there with all kinds of inputs. I’ve never had to ask her for that.

Nussrat: This is my home production. Any artiste should be more considerate towards their production house. I think we both have been doing our homework for our home production pretty well till now.