Parambrata’s Kushtia Diaries

Photos: courtesy

For Bangla film aficionados, Parambrata Chattopadhyay needs no ornate introduction. An Indian actor based in Kolkata, Parambrata has given the Bangla film panorama a number of tremendous films and continues to do so. This time, his love for movies based on real life events dragged him to Kushtia, Bangladesh, where he is shooting his new film Bhuban Majhi directed by Fakhrul Arefin.

“Working with the local people was a lot of fun; it energised me as much as doing the film itself, and I truly appreciate the love that everyone showed to me,” he says, sitting at the balcony of Shilaidaha Kuthibari Guesthouse. “The love that people of Bangladesh show is enough to make you forget your sorrow,” he adds with a smile.

Bhuban Majhi explores two time periods simultaneously – 1970 to 1971, and 2004 to 2013, Arefin explains. The film opens in 1970, depicting the rise of a rebel in a common man, played by Parambrata, who struggles with his ideals, and ends with the philosophy of Baul Ananda Shai in 2013.

Nahir, played by Parambrata, comes to Kushtia to complete his graduation a few days before the 1970 election. The ongoing countrywide turmoil revolving around the movement for independence in then East Pakistan, and the elections don't seem to move him in the slightest. All he seems to be bothered with is his love for theatre and Farida.

Nahir, like many of us, has many layers to his personality, believes Parambrata. “There is always an element of doubt and hesitation in the mind of a sensible person. Whenever something happens around us, we prefer to mull over it before jumping to conclusions.” The character of Nahir is not any different from that, as he too embodies the contradictory nature of most humans. As a patriot, Nahir feels the urge to take part in the war, but the artist in him wants to attain independence in a peaceful manner.

A believer of ahimsha,(non violence) Nahir is unsure whether he'd able to kill someone in the battlefield. “This character portrays the dilemmas and contradictions we face every day in our principles and practice, and our struggle of choosing one over the other,” explains Parambrata.

Parambrata likes being pulled into the vortex of a different era, and portraying Nahir allows him the scope to delve into a time that he obviously isn't personally familiar with.

 “Thanks to Arefin and his team for constantly providing me with different nuances and anecdotes from that time, as that helped me expand my experience.”

Creating the right ambience was very important for perfectionist Arefin. “We could have easily done the shooting somewhere convenient around Dhaka, like Pubail, Uttara or inside FDC,” he says. “But we decided to stick to the reality of Nahir Shah's life and came all the way here. Also, I believe being in the mood of the film, even when you are not shooting, is very important. So we decided to live in this guest house adjacent to the Kuthibari.”

 “'No problem' (shomoshya nai) happens to be the answer to everything here. No matter how difficult your request, this is the answer that you get here,” laughs Parambrata. “Starting from Kushtia Shilpakala to the local residents' house, everywhere we went, people welcomed us open-heartedly with love, immense cooperation and a lot of food. Where can you get such warmth, such hospitality?”

Our conversation was not limited to only the film. From Nahir Shah's philosophy to Padma River, it was a long, interesting conversation. Plus, it helped that I was a huge fan of the down-to-earth star and didn't mind listening to him for hours at an end.

As we were about to wrap up the meeting, Parambrata makes an honest confession. “As a professional artist, I act in different kinds of movies, and so my experiences are different. There are films that I don't like to work in, but I do them anyway. At the end of the day, my gross takeout from that group of movies is my remuneration. But then there are movies like Hemlock Society, Hercules, Apur Panchali  that leave me with a prolonged and profound reaction, he says. “I believe Bhuban Majhi is going to be one of them,” says the ever gracious Parambrata.

Not only his experience as Nahir Shah, Parambrata is also taking back a bag full of memories from Bangladesh back with him. A walk by the Padma River in the full moon, visiting Hardinge bridge – about which he has heard of from his grandparents – getting lost in the spirituality of Lalon's akhra, celebrating Ekushey February by visiting the Kushtia Shaheed Minar, the cricket matches played with the crew, the deshi delicacies, the autographs and selfies taken on local people's phone, the silence and serenity of Shilaidaha; the list goes on.

And also as Arefin jokingly puts it, “Getting interviewed during a full moon, right next to Rabindra Kuthibari, harmonised in nature and away from the mad city, how often does that happen?”