Paayel Sarkar talks about embodying Richa in The Academy of Fine Arts
It was director Jayabrata Das’s idea that Paayel Sarkar should flaunt a short hairdo for the role of a gutsy, bold, manipulative woman, Richa, in the film, The Academy of Fine Arts. “It had to be evident in the attitude and the body language of the character. That was the kind of outline I had for the role,” says Paayel. The actor shares her experience working in the film.
Excerpts:
This has a fresh script, a fresh collaboration. What was it like?
The experience of shooting this film was fabulous. I remember how Jayabrata narrated the story for three hours, the first time. He had all the references of the scenes, the shots, and others clearly mapped in his mind.
The movie has an ensemble cast. How was it working with them?
I have worked earlier with Saurav (Das), Rudranil (Ghosh), Sudip (Mukherjee), but I hadn’ t worked with Amit (Saha) and Rishav (Basu). I think they are truly fabulous. I worked with Anuradha (Mukherjee) for the first time, too. The ensemble cast was like a talent powerhouse. Add to that, a bunch of brilliant, talented students from Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) who had great conceptual clarity and executional prowess.
While Rudranil and Saurav are my friends, working with Rishav was a new experience, and we had quite a few difficult scenes. But we bonded well and tuned out the scenes in great sync. We shared a nice interactional chemistry. This helped us to be comfortable shooting the scenes.
Did you have doubts about taking up a film with so many newcomers?
Not at all. It’s amazing to be an integral part of a film that’s so edgy and fulfilling, despite working under so many budgetary and production constraints. The sheer brilliance, earnestness and hard-working directorial and technical team made it completely worthwhile. Shooting with a team that doesn’t come with any legacy of preconceived baggage or fear of the industry makes this rollercoaster film a must-watch for the audience.
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