After collaborating with a university senior on a screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, Anirban Bhattacharya tells us why he was drawn to Arna Mukhopadhyay’s directorial debut Athhoi and why he loves both theatre and films.

Take us through the backstory of Athhoi..

Anirban Bhattacharya: Arna-da (Mukhopadhyay) adapted the play Othello in 2015 and in 2016 he directed the stage production Athhoi. We both studied in Rabindra Bharati University, where he was my senior. Arna-da told me that he had written the play with me in mind. He wanted me to play the role of Gogo. The play got a lot of praise for almost seven-eight years that we did it. He then wrote the screenplay and I thought it had the potential to be turned into a film.

I thought it would be a strong film in terms of language, dialogue and performance. The actor in me was quite hungry for it. Though I had played Gogo in theatre before, I could put in layers and details in the film. Then I initiated a conversation between Arna and SVF. That is how Athhoi happened.

Was it easy for you to play the character again before the camera? Do you find acting for theatre different from that for film?

Anirban Bhattacharya: The easy part was that I knew the character’s soul and heart, and the tough part was the recalibration and adaptation that was needed for the film. I was looking into the directorial department and then performing the scenes. It was challenging to switch.

As an actor, I have performed on stage organically for a long time, and for almost eight-nine years in the film industry. Both the acting processes are organic. The stage and the camera give the same vibe to me. As actors our duty is to play a character from our heart, be it in theatre or film.

Some actors perform the same way in both theatre and film, some actors recalibrate, and some actors differentiate between the two modes of acting.

How was it to have Sohini Sarkar as a co-star?

Anirban Bhattacharya: I have worked with her since a very young age. We are good friends and we understand each other as actors very well.

Anirban Bhattacharya (far right) as Gogo in a poster of Athhoi, starring Sohini Sarkar and Arna Mukhopadhyay

Tell us about the music of the film…

Anirban Bhattacharya: Amit Chatterjee has done the songs and Subhadeep Guha has done the background score. The film needed three songs. We wanted the background score to be heavy, with no Indian instruments. Subhadeep incorporated heavy strings, cello, violin and viola, all western instruments, but it doesn’t sound like western choir. The music complements the screenplay and the look and feel of the film.

You are also the creative director for Athhoi. What went behind creating the film’s look and colour palette?

Anirban Bhattacharya: We created a fictional village with a big zamindari house. It’s called Bhisura. It is basically the backdrop where the film is set. The backdrop was made solely for the script. It is not a realistic setup. The world is the soul of the play.

It was a conscious decision for me to be the creative director. Arna-da asked me to do it. He wanted me to stay all through the film as I am experienced and I had a team of directors. That is why I said yes. Also, the fact that he was directing the film and I wanted Arna-da to play Atthoi because he was the most suited to pull off the character. Since he was playing such an important character in the film, we had to divide up the directorial work between us.

When are you planning your next directorial venture?

Anirban Bhattacharya: I haven’t planned anything yet. As an actor I am shooting for a Hoichoi series.