Calcutta’s monsoon is loved for various reasons. For some, it is about nostalgia, for others it is about food. For Sharmila Tagore, Calcutta’s monsoon “brings back memories”. It is reminiscent of “Tagore’s poetry… and jhalmuri…”, she said during her recent visit to the city for the dubbing of Puratawn.
Before the dubbing of the film at Edit FX Studios, the veteran member of the film industry, joined by her co-star and producer of the film, Rituparna Sengupta, and Suman Ghosh, the film’s director, sat for a private screening of the film.
“I saw it and I loved it. I think Suman has done a brilliant job. All the actors have done a great job. There are very few characters in the film, but like Manikda’s (Satyajit Ray) film, the house is also a character. We have done our best. I am sure the audience will like it. I am most certainly excited for my Bengali audience to see this film,” said Tagore in a t2 chat later.
Rituparna Sengupta, who watched the film in “parts” till now, said: “It’s looking quite intriguing. As an actor, I am blessed to share screen space with the iconic Sharmila Tagore. During the shoot of the film, I was just thinking to myself and trying to gauge her range as an actor…from Debi to Mausam and Aranyer Din Ratri to Gulmohar…it is just amazing! As an actor, I hope I have behaved in the role that I was given…”
Asked about her favourite scene from Puratawn, Tagore, in a delightful voice, said: “Every scene in Puratawn was very special. You can’t really pick one but there’s one particular scene of my birthday. That was very nice. They were doing my hair and putting on jewellery on me. Also, there’s another one. Like old people typically want to keep everything, I kept everything stored and my daughter while cleaning the house was complaining about it. First, I say okay and give her a few things to throw away. But the moment they go to throw it away, I ask them to keep it back. I really liked that scene.”
Rituparna, who is working with Tagore for the first time, shared her memorable moments from the experience. She said: “Well, there are many actually. The complete process to be precise. The entire journey from getting introduced to the icon to knowing her and understanding her and later going into the beautiful journey of making this film with her…. all of it is very memorable. I particularly remember the galouti kebabs we indulged in during the script-reading session at her Delhi residence. Her love for me is something I really cherish. She loved my home-cooked food. I feel blessed to be able to do whatever little I could do for her. It is a dream come true that the film is actually happening.”
Did Tagore get to indulge in her favourite fish curries from Rituparna’s home during this visit, too, like she did during the shoot? “This time, it was a very quick visit for all of us. We didn’t get much time together but whatever time we got together, we discussed the film. Rituparna’s recent film (Ajogyo) has done very well…I really enjoy her company,” said Tagore.
Rituparna said: “We hardly got time in the busy schedule that we had this time. Whatever little time we had, I used to voraciously listen to her talk. There is always something to learn from conversations with her….her wisdom and her knowledge about cinema, books, the Broadway, contemporary cinema... her poise, her style, her beauty and elegance made my day... everyday. She appreciated me as a producer and always spoke about my acting prowess and hard work. I will always keep this praise very close to my heart. She wrote some nice lines for me and gifted a beautiful sari to me.”
Suman Ghosh shared with us what Tagore’s reaction was after watching the film. He said: “Sharmila maashi told me before that she loved the script but wanted to see the film to be sure. After seeing the film she was so excited that it made all of us so happy. I have realised that she is a very objective and astute observer on the nuances of filmmaking— starting from acting to editing. So her verdict was very important to me as a director. Also, Ritu and I have a huge responsibility on our shoulders since an icon like her agreed to be part of our film. She will be appearing in a Bengali film after so many years, so we want to gift her a film which she will be proud of. I think after seeing her reaction we have succeeded on that aspect. Sharmila Tagore has been an icon in Bengali cinema for decades — be it commercial cinema or the films of Satyajit Ray. I am confident of the fact that her performance in Puratawn is probably amongst the best in her already legendary oeuvre of work. Audiences will have a treat to see her performance in the film.”
It is not a secret that Calcutta has a special place in Tagore’s heart. Sharing with t2 her favourite memories from her early days in the city, she recalled: “Those days were wonderful. I lived in a joint family and my family dynamics gave me the opportunity to prepare for the acting profession just by observing people. My early films were wonderful… I had the honour of meeting Kanan Devi and working with Uttam Kumar. I have wonderful memories of the food from Calcutta and my school, Diocesan…”
