Exclusive! Ritwick Chakraborty on releasing two films on the same day: The decision makers are either naive or they don’t care about the industry

Raj Chakraborty’s Dharmajuddha will hit the theatres on August 11. The film that was scheduled to release in 2020, was pushed back due to the pandemic and will release along with Arindam Sil’s Byomkesh Hatyamancha. One of the lead actors Ritwich Chakraborty believes releasing two big films on the same day can divide the audience. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, he talked about the film, his character and the pitfalls of releasing two films on the same dates.

Tell us about your character in the film…

I play a very simple man who lives with his mother. His simple life gets disrupted due to a personal tragedy and politicians, who resort to communal conflict, brainwash him. He changes and turns into a radical individual, who is communally charged. He becomes a victim.

The film was made two years ago. Don’t you think a social film loses its relevance after two years?

It, most certainly, does. In normal circumstances, a film loses relevance within a few years. However, unfortunately, Dharmajuddha is still a very relevant film in the Indian context. That is due to the rise of communal conflicts and the inability of the administration to douse the disturbance. Sadly, such divisions between men vis-a-vis religion are still a reality in our country. As it seems, the conflict is here to stay for another few years.

Raj is famous for his mainstream commercial films and you, on the other hand, is widely known for serious cinema. And yet, both of you worked together on several projects. How do these two worlds match?

I don't see it this way. I don’t differentiate between commercial and non-commercial films. In fact, it is also true that Raj’s films have changed a lot. He is working with an array of interesting topics – he has made a children’s film, Adventures of Jojo, Parineeta, an internationally relevant concern of gaming disorder in Habji Gabji, and now Dharmojuddho. I have worked with him in Le Chakka, Parineeta and Dharmajuddho. I think he is an awesome director to work with. I worked on this film soon after Parineeta. These two are completely different characters. I don’t see Raj as a director of commercial films. The nature of films is changing. I worked on a thriller with Haranath Chakraborty also.

Raj tries to improve with each scene. From light to camera angle and everything – he makes it perfect. He gives space to an actor.

You have turned into a producer…

You can call me a newcomer producer….

What has been the general reaction to your productions so far...

Birohi got a very good response. Pradipta (Bhattacharyya, editor and his partner) and I are trying to do something beyond our regular work in our own way. We are exploring possibilities. It is not just about making films and series. We aim to make other productions also. It can be a play, or something else.

Whenever Pradipta and you got together, you presented something very different. Your works have challenged conventional ideas and so on…

We have not done anything deliberately. It just happened. We do what suits us and we do it without any agenda. There is nothing imposed on us. We feel no pressure. Being different is not a conscious call. This is the way we are in real life.

Your film is releasing along with Byomkesh. Is it a desirable situation?

No. It is definitely not a desirable situation. It does not help to divide the showtimes and the audience. When two big films release together many members of the audience have to decide on just one film and give the other one a miss. That is not good for the industry. The decision-makers are either too naive that they did not understand it or maybe they really don’t care about the growth of the industry.