Director Aditi Roy tells us why she was drawn to adapting Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s Parineeta into a web series for Hoichoi, the challenges of directing a period drama and the kind of stories she likes to choose.

Why choose Parineeta? What appealed to you about this story?

Aditi Roy: I love period dramas. I love watching them and reading them, too. While talking to Hoichoi, I implanted the idea of Parineeta. I had read the novel when I was in Class VIII-IX and had liked it. I liked Parineeta more than his other works as I could visualise it while reading.

How is the story of Parineeta relevant today?

Aditi Roy: Since it’s a love story, it is relevant anytime. Love doesn’t only have a good side, it also has a side where you get upset or angry with your loved one. Any relationship has this dynamic. I had seen this in my parents while growing up, have seen this in my friends’ lives, have seen it in my life, and am also seeing it in the next generation. Maybe the nature of it has changed but it’s there. So, Parineeta is most definitely relevant today.

Are you an admirer of Saratchandra’s works?

Aditi Roy: Yes. History was my favourite subject. In every story or novel written by Manik Bandopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, we get to see the period they were writing in, the socio-economic conditions and other factors. Saratchandra’s writing and storytelling is quite simple. I admire his simple storytelling style and his ability to reach every person in the household.

Parineeta has been made into films several times — one in 1969 with Soumitra Chatterjee and Mousumi Chatterjee, and another in 2005 with Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan. Did you approach the story differently as a woman?

Aditi Roy: I feel liberated by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s female characters. Lalita is not somebody who has suffered through her entire life. She tried to speak out but when that didn’t work, she carved her own path. When I wanted to make Parineeta, I saw Lalita differently. To me, Lalita is someone who had a life of her own but when she left that life, she went to a different place and made that her own.

I have set the story against a different backdrop but I was true to the text. I didn’t want my team to see the other films on Parineeta. Saratchandra’s story was the main resource. The other directors have adapted the story in their own way and I have done it my way.

What made you cast Debchandrima Singha Roy and Gaurav Chakrabarty as Lalita and Sekhar?

Aditi Roy: I had worked with Gaurav during the making of the TV serial Byomkesh, in which I was the creative director, and I thought of him in the role of Sekhar when I wanted to do Parineeta. Gaurav has that simple Bengali man vibe and can carry it very comfortably. I felt he would be convincing in that character. Sekhar is an educated Bengali and I don’t think anybody could have played it as well as him.

I had seen Debchandrima’s work on television. She is of today’s generation and had no idea about life in 1905. But she worked very hard, did workshops and slowly transformed herself into Lalita. She was absolutely prepared when she came to the set. She looked like Lalita on the first day of the shoot itself. I was very impressed by her.

How challenging is it to direct a period drama? Which are the locations where you have shot the series?

Aditi Roy: It is very challenging as it requires a lot of money. Making a period drama is a costly affair. We have to create the period keeping in mind the set, costume, look and feel. I created the world out of my imagination and research. We have set the story in 1905. We collected and arranged materials of that time for the set. Hurricane lamps and candles were the only source of light back then. We don’t use these anymore, so to bring them back and make it a part of the shoot was challenging.

Outdoor shoots were even more difficult. The roads have changed. The structures of houses have changed. So the post-production played an important role. We have shot in Kolkata and at the Prayag Film City set in Midnapore.

What motivates you to direct stories like Bodhon, Lojja and Noshtoneer?

Aditi Roy: I like to work on concepts that are relatable. The love affair in Parineeta is very relatable to me and so is the crisis in Bodhon and the themes of Lojja and Noshtoneer. The people whose stories I tell are around us; we see them everywhere every day. They could be in our families or our workplaces. Every story at the end of the day is a story of a relationship. Without a relationship, we can’t tell a story. Noshtoneer revolved around a woman’s crisis, while Noshtoneer 2 had a thriller element to it but it also had family and relationship elements.

You were a film student and have been working for about 14 years. What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

Aditi Roy: When I was in Class III-IV, I dreamt of becoming a journalist. My father was a photojournalist and so I handled cameras from a very young age. Technology wasn’t easily available to us but I got a lot of things because of my father. Editing used to be done in analog and it used to be linear. I used to find these processes very interesting. I was studying International Relations at Jadavpur University but didn’t like it and so left it midway to pursue my master’s in Film Studies. It opened up a different world for me. I then studied film direction at Roopkala Kendra. I also had the urge to tell stories. I have never assisted anyone. I wanted to do something on my own. I started making small documentaries and corporate films. I made my first feature film Oboseshe in 2012. That is how my journey started.

What is next for you?

Aditi Roy: I am working on Lojja Season 2. There are other projects which are in the planning stage.