Exclusive! Arun Roy on Jomaloye Jibonto Bhanu: Helped friends to curate Saswata’s look but can’t make the film on a low budget

Saswata Chatterjee looks like Banu Bandyopadhyay’s doppelganger in the look-set photos of Jomaloye Jibonto Bhanu. Directed by Sayantan Ghosal, the film's first look was released on the legendary actors’ 101st birthday on August 26. The title of the film takes a cue from his iconic film, Jomaloye Jibonto Manush. The film is scheduled to release in April next year. 

The striking look of Saswata as Bhanu Bandyopadhyay is created by prosthetic makeup artiste Somnath Kundu, along with director Arun Roy, who was supposed to direct the film. In fact, the look set is done under his supervision. However, he backed off from the project later. Talking exclusively to OTTplay, Arun said, “Yes, I was supposed to direct the film. But unfortunately, I cannot compromise on the quality due to a lack of budget. I cannot make biryani for Rs 20. I will need money to buy the right ingredients to cook the dish. I am not that great a chef. If I want to make a film nicely, I will need a budget. I am not directing Jomaloye Jibonto Bhanu because I needed a proper budget to make the film.”

Also read: Saswata Chatterjee to play Bhanu Bandyopadhyay on the big screen Sayantan Ghosal’s next 

Arun is currently busy with Bagha Jatin’s biopic with Dev. Talking about the film, he said, “It is imminent that there will be a scene of Bagha Jatin fighting with a tiger because that is a marker of the freedom fighter’s life. Neither Dev nor I wanted to compromise with this scene and make it look silly. We discussed it over a year to finally agree on the right module and VFX to make it look real.”

Also read: Bagha Jatin first look: Dev transforms into a fierce freedom fighter in dhoti, shirt and belt 

As per sources, Jomaloye Jibonto Bhanu will portray several contemporary actors of Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, including Jawhar, Ray, Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen and others. The actors and look set of those characters are yet to be finalised.  

When asked about the credit for curating Saswata’s look, Arun said, “That is like helping a friend. Somnath and I curated the look and I am glad I could help the team. I don’t need credit for that. This is a small industry where we help each other.”