Filmmakers Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee talk about their Puja film 'Bohurupi'
After almost a year, director duo Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee are back this Puja with another interesting tale on screen. Shifting away from their usual plots, which revolve around relationships and dynamics, this film is a chase story. Based on true events, this film traces a series of bank robberies that rattled the Bengal police department. Besides co-directing the film, Shiboprosad has also acted in the eponymous role playing a scamster to the tee. We speak with Shiboprosad and Nandita on the same. Excerpts:
Tell us about 'Bohurupi'.
Nandita: It is a very interesting story and one of the most entertaining Bengali films that you will ever see. It is an action-chase-drama based on a financial scam that shook the state of Bengal. The film is on the lines of Dhoom and Catch Me If You Can, with the same thrilling pace.
Shiboprosad, we have last seen you on screen as a loving and doting father in Haami and Haami 2 . And now, you will be seen as a scammer. What made you choose this role?
Shiboprosad: I never thought, that in my lifetime, I could do this role. When we conceived this film, I knew it would have a huge commercial scale. Hence, I suggested Nandita a long list of names of commercially popular actors. But she simply put her foot down and insisted on me playing the role. She was very adamant, and hence, I took on the challenge.
Nandita: When I wrote the screenplay of the film and sketched out the character, it was only Shiboprosad’s face that came to my mind. I knew from the very beginning that bohurupi had to be Shibu.
How did you prepare for the role?
Shiboprosad: It is based on a real character we met while shooting for our film, Muktodhara, some 12 years back at a correctional home. The man approached us with his story and we found out that he was called by the police, ‘Bengal’s A Class’ or number one bank robber. After several sessions of interactions with this man, it has taken us almost 12 years to complete the film. What’s interesting is that in five years he robbed more than 27 banks. And it was possible only because he has plain, unassuming demeanour. The ordinary looks gave him the power of anonymity. I had to emulate that on screen and play the common man who comes across as a genuinely good person.
Nandita, how did you script the narrative?
Nandita: I didn’t want to make a documentary. It’s fiction, and a lot of things were added to the story to make it a cinematic experience. I added a lot of characters and stories behind them, but the main narrative remains true to the real story — that he was a bank robber and the police were behind him. I took a lot of inputs from people around him.
How many sessions did you have with the scammer to get into the skin of the character?
Nandita: I had plenty of sessions, and the funniest part was each time he made up new fantastic stories to make his exploits more dramatic and spectacular. And when I used to cross check he would say that I was more probing than the real police (laughs).
Koushani Mukherjee is playing your wife and will be working for the first time in your film…
Nandita: I am embarrassed to say this, but I never saw Koushani’s work when Shiboprosad insisted on talking to her and meeting her before deciding on the cast of Jhimli. But when I saw her, I knew I had found my Jhimli.
Ritabhari is playing Abir’s wife…
Nandita: She is another brilliant actor. I was initially upset with her because she couldn’t shed off a few kilos before the shooting despite trying hard. But she really researched her role well and lived the part, and I was really satisfied with her performance.
Tell us about the music of the film.
Shiboprosad: For the first time we have collaborated with Bonnie Chakraborty. He has a band called Aikatan that works with Baul folk culture and sound and we knew we would have a different soundscape. We wanted to go back to the roots with Bohurupi’s music, and we found Noni Chora Das Baul, a rare talent whose presence has changed the entire soundscape of the film. There’s also a number by Anupam, and we wanted a song based on Imon raag from him, which is a bit different from his usual compositions. There’s also a beautiful track by Silajit, which we will launch after the film’s release. Also, we have roped in Arnab Dutta who composed the song Tapur Tupur for the film Rosogollah, which topped the charts for 30 weeks in 2018. Sadly, he didn’t get a single opportunity in the next six years in Tollywood after that.
Are you planning to create any OTT content?
Nandita: Yes, we finally have a script ready. It will be in Bengali and will be shot and released sometime next year.
Other upcoming projects?
Shiboprosad: This Christmas, we will be back with our film, Amar Boss, starring Rakhi and Srabanti in the lead along with an ensemble cast comprising Sauraseni, Gourab, Sabitri Chatterjee among others.