Goutam Ghose’s short film Somoyer Smirtimala (Memories of Time) starring Suman Mukherjee and Gargee Roy Chowdhury for Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Film has that unmissable touch of the National Award-winning filmmaker and we talk to him about the same.
What inspired you to make this film?
The idea came because of the time, the dire time of COVID, when people were in fear and panic. All of us have observed the situation, especially who live in the cities. We have seen the inhuman situation, at the same time sacrifice of doctors and health workers, and common people to help others in need. It was kind of time to remember. That's why I call this Memories of Time. And absolutely, it is from my own experience, the experience of friends and relatives. These are the small little moments I tried to create within a journey.
How was the experience working with Suman and Gargee?
It was wonderful -- they are good actors, obedient and dedicated. We were shooting in COVID times and I could see a fear in their face, which I tried to capture in the film. They were looking very convincingly credible as a couple living in a city, while they tried to escape to a remote place during the neo-normal period. It's interesting to see the actors, being so much involved, despite being in a difficult situation.
What film are you working on currently?
I am almost finishing a film now; it is at the last stage of post-production. The tentative title is Parikrama - the pilgrimage. It's an Indo-Italian co-production and the film narrative is in multilingual, English, Hindi and partly Italian. This film is about the Parikrama and beyond. It has many metaphoric layers.
What tickles you as a filmmaker?
It's very difficult to say what tickles you as a filmmaker, there are so many things - so many kinds of inspiration come from real life, your dreams, reading from a story published in the newspapers. But internally, it’s the urge to communicate something new, while experimenting with the language. I don't like to make fiction one after the other. I also focus on nonfiction as it enriches my experience of learning and that's very interesting.
Your films have always voiced the marginal section of society, do you ever feel like telling a different story?
Yes, in many of my films, marginalized society has come up. I was concerned about marginalized people because there are many. It's a huge population, extremely repressed for various socio-economic reasons. So, I thought I should raise the voice of marginalized people. But of course, I have made films about my own class, the upper-middle class, and about the eternal Bengali village in Padma Nadir Majhi. Also made films about the 19th century on the Sati Yatra. It's not a film on Sati burning, but beyond. There are many kinds of subjects, I always try to find out new subjects. Of late, I have a plan for projects about the elite sections and the neo-rich of Indian society. Still, marginalized society attracts me. I find despite the poverty and separation; they have some dreams. Even if I make a film in the backdrop of Mahabharata, I will take subalterns – like the Ekalavya.
Will you make a web series?
I have written a web series, a free Indian adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment in the backdrop of a hill station, and its surrounding areas, let's see what happens to that project. Also, a musical based on gypsies of the subcontinent – they fascinate me their life, culture, and they are always on the move.