Shoumya seizes the day
After becoming a landmark in the film industry, "Utshob" is all set to premiere on OTT on August 7. Shoumya Joyti, who plays an important role in the film, has been residing in Melbourne, Australia, for a while. He conversed with The Daily Star over the phone about his experience.
When did you land in Australia? How has the experience been so far with the overseas audience?
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. I arrived here on June 29, and the first show was on July 3. Since the majority of the Bengali community lives in Sydney and Melbourne, we had the first screening in Sydney, and then I came to Melbourne, where I am currently staying.
As for the response, it has been quite unbelievable. The first phase I witnessed in Bangladesh, and now here in Australia, has been absolutely incredible—just like in Bangladesh, all the shows here are houseful. It's amazing to see that people have come from far away to watch the movie.
For the ones who grew up during the '90s, 'Utshob' brings a wave of nostalgia. Surprisingly, Gen Z was also in awe after it hit theatres.
I think the way the film's narrative is showcased worked all the magic. The script and dialogues deserve great applause because they truly connected with everyone. My mother often tells me that this generation isn't used to seeing love stories in contemporary films. They rarely get the opportunity to watch a movie with the entire family. "Utshob" was a delightful treat for them.
You've been part of several projects with period-based timelines—'Maya' (directed by Animesh Aich) and 'Utshob', for instance. What challenges did you face, and did you make any specific preparations for the roles?
In "Maya", I played a guest appearance. Comparatively, it was easier because we represented a timeline from the 1800s or a bit later. The memories of that time are not fresh in people's minds. Whereas, the '90s are still fresh to everyone, like it was yesterday! So, it was highly challenging to live up to the expectations and portray that time, which is still vivid in people's minds, and they can easily track down even a minor fault. However, I am glad that we were successful in doing so!
Regarding my preparations, I have to express my gratitude towards the entire team who made it much easier for me to play a role that belongs to another generation. While I was preparing for the role, I began by learning how to ride a bike, and that's when I had an accident that required 15 stitches overall, most of them on my head. That was the exterior preparation (giggles). However, for the emotional connection with the character, I was blessed to be brought up in an environment where I watched Zahid Hasan's "Kothao Keu Nei", and other Bangla films often, and to tell you the truth, I am a huge Salman Shah fan! I've watched all of his films. Also, we had a VCR at home, and I was familiar with all those things even though I didn't use them. I was born in 2001; it was a transition period for the upgrade of technologies, I believe. These experiences really helped.
You have announced a year's break from acting. As a rising artiste, don't you think this is your time to seize the spotlight?
I will be honest, when I received such an overwhelming response for "Utshob", it made me feel that my responsibilities as a performer have grown to a great extent. Also, people have developed great expectations of me. So, I would never want to let them down. I want to educate myself more as a performer and take acting lessons. I'm also nearing the end of my undergraduate degree in English Literature at NSU. So, I am striving to maybe go abroad for my higher studies.
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