In the film Bonbibi (directed by Rajdeep Ghosh), which is playing in theatres now, Parno Mittrah plays Resham, a tour guide in the Sunderbans. “I loved my character and the story. Ranada (Sarkar; producer) came to me with a script after many years. And I have known Rajdeep since 2009. We were doing television together. He was also Kaushikda’s (Ganguly) associate. Bonbibi is a very entertaining love story,” smiles Parno. A t2 chat...

Tell us more about your character...

I play Resham, a tiger widow. She lives in the widow community in the Sunderbans. She has educated herself after losing her husband; she has learnt how to speak English and she is a tour guide. Everyone puts in the money they make and that’s how the community runs. She teaches the kids; everyone comes to her for advice. Resham falls for Himon, a musician, and then all hell breaks loose. The film then follows the two lovers who are trying to escape. And then there is Jahangir, who is very righteous. He is someone who also helps the villagers there. But once he sees these two lovers go beyond the norms laid down by society, he is incensed. He tries to stop them.

Bonbibi was also screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival. How was the reaction there?

Very good. There were two screenings and the turnout was amazing. It was packed. People loved the film. The reactions were very organic. Bonbibi is a good film. It feels like it is something new. I got a lot of messages from people who said that they loved the film. Recently we went to the Sunderbans and screened the film there for the people. It was a lovely experience.

In the past, you have been part of films that weren’t promoted well. How important a role does a production house play in your decision to choose a film?

In my opinion, if your film is good, nothing else matters. Even if you don’t do crazy promotions... even if you don’t post anything on social media... if you just say that you have made a film, which is releasing in these theatres... there will be people who will go and watch the film. And if the film is really good, the film will find an audience... it will grow through word of mouth. People will talk about it. That’s exactly what happened with Bibaho Diaries (directed by Mainak Bhaumik) and Sahaj Paather Gappo (directed by Manas Mukul Pal).

With so much content around, can you just do that? Is it enough?

If you have the machinery to do promotions, then it is okay. You can push the film then. But if you don’t have it and your content is good, then you don’t have to worry. The audience will decide. If someone makes 100 reels to promote a film, it won’t work for me. But if my friend tells me, “Hey, let’s go and watch this film, it is really nice”, only then will I go to the theatres to watch the film.

Which was the last Bengali film you watched in the theatres?

I watched Raktabeej and I liked it. I have seen a lot of content in the past... but it’s not like I loved a lot of them, to be honest. Including my own films. I am not trying to be biased or anything.

Do you feel we need a system in place where we nurture more writers?

I am not an expert and I don’t pretend to be one. In my opinion, we expect a lot more from new Bengali films. I was a part of some great films when I started, and I expect far more interesting content from our writers and directors. I expect them to take more risks. I expect the producers to take a little more risk. Ten to 14 years ago they only made films that were among the best in India... we have always been ahead of time.

Now, when a film is a success, we have got into this habit of making a bunch of films of that same genre, or along the same lines, expecting those films to score at the box office. Everybody tries to make similar films... so I feel one should be true to the film that they are making. Write stuff that excites you.

Of course, they can’t always help it all the time if those scripts are not accepted by the producers. And the producers need to support the writers and filmmakers. It is a cycle actually. The producers need to take more risks. They should try. I know there’s a lot of money involved; it is a gamble; but it’ll be really nice if they did. Right now, we have to understand one thing. We have access to world cinema. Everything is available at home for many of us. My options are so wide now; we have so much to choose from.

You’ve recently watched Past Lives and loved it.

I have seen Past Lives twice! I loved the performances; the story is engaging. The ending is amazing. You don’t expect that. These things happen in life. Cinema is anyway a reflection of life.

You have also started writing a script. Why did you feel the need to do that?

I am trying out something. I am on my sixth draft; it is quite personal.

In the last few years, we didn’t see you in too many films...

I shot for a lot of films in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and some of them will be released soon. I did television for a year. There was the pandemic, and a lot of things happened. I have two Bangladeshi films up for release; then there is Suzie Q, my Hindi film and Anka Ki Kothin. So there are quite a few of my films lined up for release.

Would you like to return to television? Are you open to the idea?

Yes. If it is something different from what I’ve done in the past.

How was your shooting experience of Bonbibi?

Rajdeep is a warm person and he made all of us feel comfortable. We were shooting for 18 days in the Sunderbans in extreme conditions. Our DoP Supriya Datta has done a fantastic job. The conditions over there were challenging; we travelled via a boat everywhere, and we had to deal with the mud. You would suddenly find yourself sinking in the mud. For one scene Arya (Dasgupta) had to get off the boat into the water. And the next day we hear that a crocodile was spotted in that same area. It was a bit scary.

 
Location courtesy: Bunaphile Roasters on
Southern Avenue