Dev and Rukmini Maitra have come together for the romcom Kishmish. Directed by Rahool Mukherjee, Kishmish sees Dev playing four characters in the film, the primary one being that of a comic book artist-writer. The film has different timelines. The shoot of the film, produced by Dev Entertainment Ventures, in association with MK Media, starts from today. The cast of Kishmish features Dev, Rukmini, Kharaj Mukherjee, Kamaleshwar Mukherjee, Anjana Basu and June among others. A candid chat with superstar-MP Dev....

You are starting the shoot of a film from your production house after almost two years. So much has happened in between. How are you processing all this, what are your thoughts on the eve of the shoot?

It is a different world. Earlier we would start preparing to get into character after planning the production. Now, everything has changed. I have to take care of my unit first, there’ll be less people on set keeping Federation numbers in tact... we will follow all safety protocols. Production costs have gone up now. We are creating a team who would check temperature and sanitise everything all the time. I am in touch with a hospital and a team of doctors in case there’s an emergency and we can move them there. We are taking all kinds of preparations.

We have never thought about so many different things related to film-making before. Of course, there is a psychological pressure as well. But we are entertainers and the show must go on. I am hopeful that more people will flock to cinema halls to watch Bengali films around Pujas. Footfall hopefully will go up. People want to be entertained. We have to step up now and start shooting. The livelihoods of so many people depend on it.

The actors remove their masks for a shot. Does a fear factor play on your minds before a scene?

That fear has somehow gone after I did Dance Dance Junior Season 2. Initially, it did play on our minds. Then the vaccines arrived and they are really effective. People who are vaccinated are protected, and we are making sure that everyone is vaccinated in our team. The Federation has done a fantastic job of vaccinating most of the technicians. Actors are vaccinated also. But yes, at the back of my mind that thought is there. However, since I am the producer, I am also thinking of the health and well-being of everyone. The psychological pressure is there and this is part of the new normal.

We are mentally prepared to handle the pressure. We did workshops too. In the last one-and-a-half years, many people have lost jobs, their savings have depleted. We cannot release many of our films. New productions are not starting. But we are hopeful of a better future.

Kishmish was announced pre-pandemic. But did you think of starting last year?

No. Right now life somehow bears some kind of normalcy. People are going to restaurants, malls. I need a feel like that for Kishmish, a large part of it is set outdoor. This is the time for it. We can step out and shoot Kishmish, given the circumstances.

In the last one-and-a-half years, you were extremely busy with social work and helping Covid-affected people. You shot for Golondaaj and a part of the film Commando. Did you miss the shooting floor? Did you get restless?

My last release Saajbati was in 2019! I did not have a release in two years. A first in my career. I was so busy responding to crisis calls that making films did not cross my mind then. People were in such pain and misery. Second wave was deadly and took away so many near and dear ones from us. At times we felt so helpless. The biggest challenge then was to stay alive and healthy. That was the main struggle. My connection with Ghatal and its people has strengthened (in the last two years). Cinema took a backseat then. But now, as I said, we can start shooting. If I don’t start shooting now, members from my unit will suffer. Their livelihoods depend on it.

Sourced by the correspondent

Did workshops help to get into the mindframe?

It was very important. We could break the ice with new members. We could get into the headspace of the characters and understanding them. Now we are more confident. Our characters have various shades and age groups.

Rahool was with the script for six-seven years. Interestingly, Rahool had offered Rukmini this film much before Chaamp happened. He felt she fit the bill. But then Rukmini had not decided to get into films. He was the EP of my film Dhumketu. When I was shooting for Hobu Chandra Raja... in Hyderabad, Kharajda told me about this film. Then Rahool told me the story and I liked it immediately. Later on I came to know that Rukmini was always there in the film.

For the record, it is always the director who wants to cast Rukmini in the film (laughs). And if she likes the script, then great. I love to work with her. It is a very challenging project. You’ll get to see me playing four characters, from age 16-17 to 45. I lost 15 kgs for Kishmish.

You have not done a romantic film in a long time...

I have always tried to break the mould by mixing things up, by experimenting. From Bunohaans to Golondaaj, emotional family dramas to Tonic, which will release this Puja. For a romantic film, you have to go back to Paglu. That young vibe. Kishmish is a love story, but not an usual love story... and animation has a large role to play in the film. I play a graphic artist.

When Rukmini first heard the script, she had challenged me that I’ll never look like a schoolboy! ‘It’s best to change it to a collage-goer,’ she had said. Well, I took on the challenge. People will be merrily surprised seeing the transformation between age groups.

Can we get to see Indo-Bangladesh films happening more often...

That’s why we did Commando. Another two-three projects are in the pipeline. We have to look at the bigger picture and take our culture ahead... we can do wonders if we join hands.

There was a time, maybe eight years ago, when a mainstream Bengali film, starring you, would release in 275 theatres across Bengal. With single screens closing with each passing day, how can the halls be revived again?

I don’t know what to say, until everything becomes normal again... and we have to innovate and think out of the box. People want the multiplex ambience in a single screen. We have to come together and think of a solution. One has to re-think.

Is the age of the potboiler, which did wonders at the box office many years ago, over?

Films have to be realistic now. Times have changed, the taste of people has changed. People who grew up on my Paglu are probably running a family and have become parents. One has to innovate. And we want to watch a gripping story.

Are you open to working on OTT and Hindi films?

Yes, why not? If I get a substantial role and the story is gripping. I got a few offers for Hindi films recently but I didn’t like them. The entertainment format has changed. You cannot stick to one format. Just make your presence felt.