‘I wanted to cast people who had jaw lines,’ says Soumik Sen
Director Soumik Sen is back with his new web series Jazz City which has a Jazz club in the crux of the Bangladesh Liberation War of the 70s. With nuanced music, celebrated performers and a storyline which takes one back to their roots; Jazz City is a story of identity, belongingness and a fight for a language. Sen takes us through the series.
How did the idea of Jazz City develop?
Growing up in Calcutta there’s a very conscious understanding of where I come from and belong. What I was not aware of, till almost 40 years old, is that the language that I speak had to fight a war to stay relevant. It’s not there in our history books or pop-culture. I don’t remember a single film which talks about Muktiyuddha. When you are born you identify the language in which you speak at home, only later you realize the pin code.
Is the language being threatened by global influences today?
Homogeneity is something which the world is trying to assimilate. Anyone trying to sell a product finds it easier when things are homogenized. In English, the whole of India relates to it. The moment I make it in regional languages, my audience gets segregated. That’s a commercial compulsion. But thankfully, the way of consuming content worldwide, is going local. Non universal localized languages are finding a new lease of life. The balance is in between being authentic and being overtly polite.
Why the name Jazz City?
Jazz has always stood out as a culture which is abstract and does not follow rules. It believes in being extra-ordinary by refusing to be a part of the mainstream. That resonates with me as I am sporadic, recluse, and not very social. Jazz City epitomizes the club and the city through instruments, tonality, and more.
How were the characters cast?
Essentially through audition, but I wanted to cast people who had jaw lines. In those days, there was no junk food and people used to walk or take public transport. So, if you see photographs, everyone was fit and had jaw lines. That is one thing I kept in mind.
Jazz City is streaming on SonyLiv
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