Kamaleswar Mukherjee’s social satire, Ektu Sore Bosun starring Paoli Dam, Ritwick Chakraborty and Ishaa Saha, is based on the story Pashapashi by Bonophool. We speak to Paoli, who plays the smart and witty Rokeya, about her character, women in comedy and how difficult it was to get into the role. Excerpts:
How difficult was it to get into the character?
It was very difficult. When I first read the script, I was simultaneously shooting for many projects including Pritha Chakraborty’s Paharganj Halt, and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Charlie Chopra & the Mystery of Solang Valley. I didn’t have much time to prepare for this role. It’s the first time I approached comedy. Satire movies are rarely made, and when Kamaleswar offered me the role I was very happy because of late, I was playing a lot of intense and complicated characters. For me, Rokeya was a breather. But there was a lot of pressure as well.
Initially I didn‘t know how to approach the character. That’s when I drew inspiration from stalwarts like Utpal Dutta — one of my favourite comedians — Jahar Roy, Bhanu Bandopadhyay, Rabi Ghosh, and observed how effortlessly they used to play comic roles on screen.
What is Rokeya like as a character?
Rokeya, apart from being sensitive and emotional, belongs to the corporate world. She runs a placement agency. She makes people dream and helps fulfil them too. That way, she is a very strong, focused woman. She has a nice heart, but is very eccentric. I look out for a bit of goodness in every character. This combination of goodness and eccentricity is very unusual. Characters like this aren’t written often, I don’t know if it will be written again in the future. It was a complete experiment for me. Every dialogue has a rhythm in the film, and that rhythm is extraordinary.
What made you choose this character?
In Bengali films, such characters, especially for women, are scarcely written. So I thought of attempting this one. If it clicks with the audience, more such stories and such characters will be written. Women in comedy are rare. I always try and break the patriarchal, misogynistic space everywhere and so, why not in comedy?
Why are funny women characters on screen a rare find?
The world of writing in our industry is still dominated by men and they have to accept it first that funny and strong women exist. I think they are scared of women like that. Satires can become very difficult to understand at times.
Is this one a difficult film too? Or is it easygoing, and fun to watch?
It depends on the perspective, and how you see it. Still, I feel it shouldn’t be difficult. The actors are brilliant in the comedy space. It has intellect, of course. It has humour, wit, and everything.