Filmmaker Indira Dhar Mukherjee’s next, Kothay Shahjahan? stars Shaheb Chatterjee, Sean Banerjee, Pratyusha Roslin and Koneenica Banerjee. “I don’t consider myself a director but rather a content creator. If the content is good enough, the language or region is never really a constraint,” says Mukherjee, whose films, she claims, are usually contentdriven and performance-oriented. As the film hits the floors, we speak to Mukherjee about Kothay Shahjahan? in detail. Excerpts:
What is the film about?
The film is an intense thrillerdrama, based on true events, regarding the disappearance of a famous tea-estate owner. Thrillers need to be redefined, and that is what I am doing right now. Treatment-wise, the film would be something that Bengali film audiences have never seen. The plot is interesting and I have been wanting to make this film for a long time. The story revolves around the disappearance of George Barret (Shaheb), and it is a love story that nobody would ever imagine.
How did you decide on the cast?
We needed two actors who looked similar but belonged to different age groups. We wanted their physical features, height, and complexion to be similar and we finally decided upon Shaheb and Sean. And coincidentally, nature-wise too, they have a lot in common. There’s much more to them than their looks — they are extremely talented, come prepared to the sets and are very private people. Choosing Pratyusha, who is playing Roslin, was rather a cakewalk. I had already decided to cast her when I saw her performance in a film called Prapti at the Kolkata International Film Festival. I didn’t want any character to come with baggage, since all the characters are very layered. And Koneenica is an actor who believes in content. The audience will see her in a character like never before! The duration of the character is of least interest to her, she was interested in the impact of her character on the plot. She’s such an underrated actor.
Which actors would you want to work with?
I would love to work with actors Anirban Bhattacharya and Koel Mallick.
Upcoming projects?
I am working on two more films right now and will be able to talk about them soon.