The September 30 film Boudi Canteen charts the journey of a middle-class woman as she follows her dream and redefines her identity from a home-maker with a passion for cooking to a successful businesswoman and chef. Directed by Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Boudi Canteen stars Subhashree Ganguly, Parambrata and Soham. The Telegraph chat with Parambrata and Subhashree.

Parambrata, how did you come up with the idea for the film?

Parambrata: A lane bustling with street food joints, and the people selling them were middle-class. This sense of enterprise really inspired me. Then I started looking into it and found out that there are so many cloud kitchens. And this was mainly led by women. Then I suddenly remembered a story which I had heard from Aritra (Sen). A story about a woman who finds her calling in cooking. Then I decided to make it. Boudi Canteen is an intimate social drama.... There is this sense of enterprise through doing something that is traditionally associated with the gender. There are certain gender roles assigned to the two sexes. When we try to reverse these gender roles we also end up committing a fallacy of presuming that women empowerment can happen only when a woman does the man things. But a woman can defy social norms by doing the conventional thing associated with her.

Subhashree, apart from Boudi Canteen, you also star in Indubala Bhaater Hotel. Could you ever imagine that you would be a part of two projects whose names are connected to food?

Subhashree: My friends and colleagues are telling me, ‘Now that you have a canteen and a hotel, when do we come over for a treat?’ This is sheer coincidence. I got the offer for Indubala... a few months after Boudi Canteen. But the stories of the two are completely different from one another. And both the stories are so interesting... both are about women empowerment.

And both the characters are entrepreneurs. Do you feel it is a reflection of what is happening all around in society?

Subhashree: Yes... Boudi Canteen has a strong social message whereas Indubala... chronicles a journey of a woman from Bangladesh. Indubala has this amazing character graph. Meanwhile, my character Poulomi from Boudi Canteen tells the stories of every woman.

Parambrata, why did you decide to cast Subhashree as Poulomi?

Parambrata: She was perfect for this character. I had shot with her for Habji Gabji... Poulomi has this simple and straightforward thing about her. She walks the talk. Whereas my character is not confrontational. Through this film and my character we have also tried to challenge the idea of the alpha male that is worshiped. That is not something that is healthy for the men either... this constant pressure to remain as the alpha male, and in your demeanour as well... what happens is that then you go out of touch with your softer side. We see the alpha male being worshiped in our country.

Is this film a reaction to that?

Parambrata: This film is a reaction to the idea of championing the alpha male cause. The way we consciously or unconsciously support the idea of the alpha male or delta female creates a lot of unnecessary pressure on the individual. It stops them from becoming better people. The film is about the zeal or the wish to do something on your own.

Subhashree, why did you say yes to Boudi Canteen?

Subhashree: Because of the story and its simplicity. Boudi Canteen has a simple and relatable story. One can talk about gender equality in a new language also. An independent woman doesn’t need to make the same choices as that of a man. It is about sharing responsibilities when one talks of gender equality. The film is breaking the roles defined by society for men and women.

A moment from Boudi Canteen, releasing on September 30

When it comes to selecting films, do you now only want to be a part of films that talk about women empowerment and feminism?

Subhashree: I am getting such offers now. Directors and producers want to see me frontlining such films. Through these films I am always expressing what I feel strongly. At the same time I would also like to do impactful roles in mainstream films. I’m also doing a sweet love story. I listen to scripts like an audience member. I react to them. When I feel strongly about something after listening to the one-liner, I usually say yes. That’s how I feel convinced.

Parambrata, do you see yourself directing more films in the future?

Parambrata: In the next six months I am doing five films as an actor. Out of them two-three are Hindi and two are Bengali. Acting is like my second skin. I am doing this job for the last 21 years. Acting is my dal bhaat, and direction is biryani. Sometimes good food also becomes your passion whereas dal bhaat is something you relish, you need, and it sustains you.

What was it like working together?

Subhashree: We have a really nice equation... we are a part of a WhatsApp group. I feel Paramda has a soft corner for direction. He visualises the entire film at the script level. Paramda is a very good actor, we all know that... he is very spontaneous and natural as an actor.

Parambrata: Subhashree is hungry to do more. She doesn’t care whether it is for films or the web. Her craft is her primary importance. Her priority is very straightforward. She is here to act and she loves it.

One of the important messages in the film is to follow your passion.

Subhashree: I have always followed my passion from the beginning. I am happy and grateful to God that I’m living my dream. In my family, there are lawyers and doctors. But I could carve out my own path. One can follow one’s passion even after fulfiling all the roles in the family and taking care of all responsibilities. That’s very important and that’s what Poulomi says in the film. It’s very important to have a supportive and caring husband in a woman’s life and that’s what Sourish is.

Subhashree, do you like to cook?

Subhashree: I used to cook earlier... I could make all kinds of dishes. After marriage, I haven’t cooked at all... both of us are working... my mother-in-law says that since she doesn’t tell her son to cook something after a day at work, she also doesn’t want me to do that. If she ever feels like it, she has said that she’ll tell me. One day I had asked Raj if he would like me to cook something for him, he said that the amount of time it would take me to cook, it would be better if he got to spend that same time with me. Maybe, one day if my son wishes to taste my cooking, I’ll do it. For the cooking scenes, I practised a lot and Paramda also shot it smartly. The difficult part was cutting and chopping.

How would you define Poulomi?

Subhashree: She is brave, optimistic... full of positive energy. In a very easy manner Poulomi will tell you that it is great to live your dreams.

Durga Puja also means pet puja, and there is only one film, connected to pet puja, that’s releasing on September 30. Boudi Canteen will be an apt choice for everyone.

Subhashree, you were on a holiday recently with your family and travelled to Switzerland and Paris. How was the trip?

Subhashree: It was awesome. I had been there before for film shoots but one hardly gets time to sightsee then. This time we could take out time and soak in the sights and sounds. We celebrated Yuvaan’s birthday there. Yuvaan saw snow for the first time and that moment was really special. He was overjoyed and had a great time in Switzerland. His reaction was priceless. Also, I shopped a lot in Paris.

Picture: B. Halder