Exclusive! Anirban Bhattacharya on Ballabhpurer Roopkotha: We don’t have a crowd puller, who can ensure business at the box office

Anirban Bhattacharya’s Ballabhpurer Roopkotha has been getting positive reviews from viewers and critics alike. The horror comedy, which features Satyam Bhattacharya, Surangana Bandyopadhyay, and others, was finally released in theatres on October 25. Based on Badal Sircar’s play, the director ditched a big star cast and resorted to a good script, which he co-wrote with Pratik Dutta and a group of lesser-known theatre actors. Garnished with quintessential Bengaliness, the horror-comedy banks of word-of-mouth. After directing Mandaar for Hoichoi, this is Anirban’s second directorial work and he intends to take a break from the job for a couple of years. In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, Anirban explains why he wants to take a break from the direction, his dependence on his actors, and a lot more. Read on…

The film is being appreciated by critics. How does it feel?

Yes, the reception so far has been positive. These days, any film is widely reviewed – in newspapers, on digital portals, and even on YouTube. There is a formula or a structure for a review. A film or a theatre production must be reviewed. However, while making the film, all I ever wanted is to make people happy. I want the viewers to get a certain temporal peace while watching the film. No film is flawless and this one has its flaws too. But if this film can make people happy and touch people’s hearts, even for those two hours, I will think I am successful.

It has been widely reported that you decided to take a break from the direction for a few years. After the acknowledgment and praise, will you reconsider your decision?

I will not direct for at least another two years and these two years will be gone in a wink. Also, this praise is like a two-way sword. Today, those who are praising me for making good films will criticise me if I start making one or two films a year. They will say, ‘Anirban is also falling into the same trap of making multiple films a year.’ There are pros and cons and I considered both. After directing two projects – Mandaar and Ballabhpurer Roopkotha – I realised that I take about 365 days to complete the entire project. From writing, rewriting, auditioning, conducting workshops, shooting, editing, etc – for me everything takes place in approximately one year. I cannot take less than that time. If I get into another film, when will I do my acting? There is a possibility that people demand my direction more than my acting. But I want to act.

Also, these two years will pass in no time. I have done this before. In 2016, I took a break from theatre acting, and for three years, I did not undertake any new theatre acting projects. I started working on Titu Mir again in 2019.

It is often said that limited budget and time impact good films in the Bengali film industry. What is your take on that?

Filmmaking is a very laborious job. While working on a script or editing a film can still be done in an air-conditioned room, shooting is laborious both for a big-budget and small-budget film. When you have a smaller budget, the struggle becomes more. You are then compelled to push your limits. Instead of 10 hours, you end up working 17-18 hours. What is the point of complaining? In Bengal, we are not sitting on a great budget cycle. Traditionally, we never had an enormous budget for our films. So yes, the work is harder. But that’s how it is.

On the other hand, with technological advancements, CGI is practically replacing human effort in big studios like Marvel, etc. Digitisation involves more money and can probably recreate your imagination flawlessly without involving human beings. Due to budget constraints, we still involve human artistes and I see this as a positive sign.

You picked a bunch of almost lesser-known actors and actresses for Ballabhpurer Roopkotha. Why did you not take any star? And how did it go?

Without hurting anyone I would like to say that in our industry there is no crowd-puller, who can ensure good business at the box office between Friday and Sunday. It is not only in our industry, even in Mumbai, only a star cannot make a film successful. The days of stardom are over. This is one of the reasons behind my decision. The artistes who worked in Ballabhpurer Roopkotha are very good actors and actresses. I also think, for general people, there is a craving to watch fresh faces on the big screen. However, there are consequences of not taking stars. With a star, you will have an initial excitement among the audience. I took that chance.

No. You can't be scared to showcase your work. I would be scared if I would not do my work dutifully. If I would take a bunch of non-stars and not worked with them with enough diligence, I would have been scared. If I do my work to the best of my ability, why should I be scared? Even if the film doesn’t work at the box office we will know that we put our best work forward.