Tathagata Mukherjee on decoding GenZs in his film, Nibba Nibbi
Actor-director Tathagata Mukherjee is basking in the glory of his new film Nibba Nibbi, which is currently streaming on Bangla ZEE5. Tathagata, who considers the movie to be the toughest in his directorial career to date, will also be seen in films like Srijit Mukherji’s Emperor Vs Sarat Chandra, and Rajdeep Ghosh’s Gungun Kore Mahua, yesteryear actress Mahua Roy Choudhury’s biopic, where Tathagata will be seen playing the legendary actor Uttam Kumar.
The terms, Nibba Nibbi , are commonly used by teenagers. How do you place it in your philosophy?
We are living at a time when both good and bad are much publicised; Nibba Nibbi has a very negative connotation. But to understand Bengali Gen-Zs, or any Gen-Z for that matter, I thought Nibba Nibbi were the words. I have used the words to reflect the reality of today’s generation—their dialect, their language, their strength, and how they are introduced to mobile phones even before they turn two. But we tend to forget the strong backbone they have.
You talk about Gen Z’s strength. But why didn’t you cast actors who actually belong to that generation?
I believe actors are like water; a director has to give them a shape. The roles of Deba and Paro were difficult to pull off, and to bring them to life, I needed powerful actors. I specifically wanted Rishav Basu, though there were two other names in mind. But I am very comfortable with him since I worked with him before in Bhotbhoti, and I know his strengths and weaknesses.
But I was unsure who could be Paro. Even after getting Sauraseni Maitra’s recommendation, I was unsure. But she surprised me. She has given her everything for Paro.
How did you make sure the Gen Z psyche and language got reflected in the script?
I know a lot about Gen Zs, and have heard stories from my friends; in fact, my partner Aalokbarsha is also a Gen Z, but I didn’t have to use terms like breadcrumbing or situationship in the show. Had I used them, it would have sounded superficial. I needed to understand their points of view, question them, and try to bring about a change.
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