Indraadip Dasgupta’s film Bismillah follows Bismillah (Riddhi Sen), who hails from a shehnai-playing family living below poverty line in a rural village in Bengal. Due to the popularity of digital music all over India, shehnai playing is becoming a dying art form in that village. Bohemian by nature, Bismillah loves to play the flute. He roams around the village, imagining himself to be Krishna eternally in search of Radha and Meera. But if Bismillah doesn’t take up the shehnai as his instrument of expression, then he will eventually lose out on being the torchbearer of the family. The Telegraph chat with Subhashree on the film...
THE SIX-MONTH SEARCH
The concept of Bismillah is really interesting... it is visual poetry. ID (Indraadip) had told me that he was in search of an actor to play his Radha (aka Fatima) for six months... he had looked everywhere. And he finally found Radha when he was doing the background score of Parineeta (starring Subhashree). I was very happy on hearing it but I knew that it was a huge responsibility... I immediately said yes after listening to the script. It is a beautiful story and character.
BECOMING FATIMA
My character (Fatima) is fleshed out and really well written. There was a lot of detailing. As I was reading the script, I could imagine her. I knew how she would look and talk. Of course I have my own way of preparing for a character. It became easier because of the writing.
She is very bold and beautiful, and she will be etched in the memory
of everyone. The look of my character really helped to
shape it.
SPENDING TIME IN PURULIA
The shooting experience was amazing. The whole team was really energetic. I was working with ID for the first time. And the team was very new for me. But they were so welcoming. The ambience on set was so vibrant that it helped me to immerse myself in the character. We shot in January and February, which is the best time to shoot. The weather in Purulia was amazing.
On my first day of shoot, we went to Baruipur Rajbari. There was a beautiful set there, which was complemented by gorgeous lighting by DoP Subhankar Bhar. I will cherish the moment forever. Bismillah is very special. The concept and the music is amazing. The visuals are brilliant.
WORKING WITH RIDDHI
I had seen Riddhi’s performances. And throughout the film I got to share screenspace with only Riddhi. We shot for a lot of songs and that was quite memorable.
TELLING STORIES
ID is like his songs. The way he thinks or the way he creates is beautiful. He is a sweetheart, and I had a great time working with him. He enjoys the process of film-making. I really like his attitude towards his craft. The way he tells a story is really different, which I really like. His vision, his thoughts are really cinematic.
Feedback Time
The feedback for Dharmajuddho is really good and we are very happy. People are showering it with so much love. They are talking about the concept and praising the performances... people have connected with the theme.