Exclusive! Premendu Bikash Chaki: These days, the supply of Bengali films is more than the demand but the standard is not rising

The director’s Paka Dekha which features Susmita Chatterjee and Soham Chakraborty will release on September 2,

A still from the film

Premendu Bikash Chaki’s Paka Dekha is all set to be released on September 2. Billed as a rom-com, the film features Soham Chakraborty and Susmita Chatterjee in lead. It also features a host of veteran actors and actresses, including Sumanta Chatterjee, Dolon Roy, Laboni Sarkar, Kharaj Mukhopadhyay and Dipankar Dey. In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, Premendu Bikash talks about the film, ensemble cast and the state of the Bengali film industry. Read on…

Tell us about the film…

Paka Dekha is a film made for people who go to cinemas for entertainment. It is a simple film that is full of humour. It has no complex plot or thrill. It will not insist you think hard. It is not intense. The pandemic period was truly a taxing time for all of us. I feel we desperately need some time to relax and laugh. Paka Dekha will give you that reason to laugh out loud with your family and friends. However, this is not crass humour. The film is based on situational comedy.

Why Paka Dekha?

There was a time Paka Dekha used to be an integral part of Bengali matrimony. The bride and groom’s family members used to meet and finalise the date and wedding. It used to be an essential marker of Bengali weddings. These days, it is not as common as it used to be. Other rituals have taken over and brides and grooms decide their wedding date based on their available off days. My film is called Paka Dekha for nostalgia. It has a certain recall value and I wanted to explore that.

Besides the hero and heroine, the film features a host of veteran actors and actresses. Is there any particular reason for this elaborate ensemble cast?

Strong actors and actresses playing different characters in a film is a tradition. Even during the time of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, Tulsi Chakraborty, Pahari Sanyal, Chhabi Biswas and so on used to be the pillars of success. Also, you need performers to run a show. You cannot make a film just with a model or a doll with a large number of fan followings on social media. You need actors and actresses who will act. The number of Instagram followers is official data that may or may not reflect in the box office collection. For box office collections, you need people to present a good story convincingly.

The heroine of the film, Susmita Chatterjee, is a newcomer, who enjoys a large fan following on social media…

I watched her first film, Prem Tame. I felt that her look and attitude will match my character, Tiyasha. I also thought that if she is groomed properly and gets support from her co-actors, she will excel. And I was not wrong. She performed so well in the film that you will have to watch it to believe me.

How is Soham as a producer?

Soham has not put any pressure on me as a producer. He has let me work in my way. He is a seasoned actor and has been around in the industry for a very long time. He knows how to get things done. He is a mature and experienced person.

After the pandemic and its restrictions, many Bengali films were released. Barring a few, including Belashuru and Aparajito, not many films could impress the box office report card. In this situation, how are you seeing the business of Paka Dekha and why do you think many Bengali films are failing?

It is a very big question and it demands an elaborate answer. Before getting into that, let me clarify that I have made Paka Dekha for single-screen audiences. I have made it for the people who are ready to pay Rs 60-70. I don’t know how many people may want to or can afford to pay Rs 160-180 for films in general. I want common middle-class people to enjoy Paka Dekha.

Secondly, I feel there is no parity of demand and supply of films in Bengal. There was a time when we used to have more than 450 cinema halls (single screen and multiplexes). During that time, we used to see 40-42 films being released per year. Out of those films, seven-eight films used to be good. Now, the number of screens has gone down to around 170 and we are seeing a release of more than 100 films. The number of quality films is still stuck at seven to eight. Hence the supply of films is more than the demand.

Also, the proportion of good films has gone down because many of the filmmakers are not filmmakers at all. Like the way you cannot just do surgery like a doctor or fly an airplane like a pilot, you cannot just become a filmmaker one fine morning. It needs training and understanding. You will need to know how to tell a story. Producers also need to understand how and where to invest. It involves rigor and patience to make a good film.

These days, films are often made within a couple of months, whereas there was a time when it used to take months to make a film. Is it because of the advancement of technology or budget restrictions? Does this affect the quality of films?

Of course, it impacts the standard. Like there is a difference between instant food and home-cooked food, there is a difference between instant films and well-thought-out films. Shooting can be done quickly, but preproduction and post-production needs time to think and execute.

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