Love is in the air! And college memories and a search for love and friendship form the soul of the V-Day film Prem Tame. Directed by Chandrabindoo man Anindya Chattopadhyay, Prem Tame stars Soumya, Susmita and Sweta. The team recently dropped in to Lord of the Drinks in South City Mall to dig into some yummy bites and kickstart the upcoming V-Day celebrations at the place. “Food is always very important for me, I am a big-time foodie. Food is the first thing that keeps me going, so for me food and work need to create a balance in my life. During the shoot of Prem Tame we shot at a place very famous for mistis and every day we used to get delicious sweets along with a variety of fish. We even got ilish maach, my favourite, we used to have fantastic lunch and dinner every day and that really made me feel happy and lucky to have got this lovely place to shoot. We got mishti doi, also my favourite,” says Susmita.
“On the sets of Prem Tame, I would mainly stick to simple nutritious food, like chicken stew and rice, and, at times, even bread. But there were a couple of days where I broke that rule and enjoyed traditional Bengali delicacies, like variants of fish curries and posto,” says Soumya.
A candid chat with Soumya
Prem Tame, which releases on February 12, centres on love and the dynamics of romantic relationships….
And combined with Valentine’s Day there is also Saraswati Puja, which elevates that particular week to being all about love. The film is as much about love as it is about the journey of a couple of people — and as far as the love story is concerned, it’s not a typical three-way love story of an introvert girl, introvert guy and a rebel girl, for those who may perceive it that way already. It is about many things... it is about youngsters taking their own decisions — and, in fact, why do we have to always assume that the man or the guy dominates the relationship? When we talk of possessiveness, it is a universal trait irrespective of the person’s age, so the story is not a plain love triangle — there are various aspects too that you will see once you watch the film.
Tell us about your character in Prem Tame.
Pablo has many sides to him; on the professional side, he wants to become a poet but finds out that nobody is really interested in publishing his poems. So he decides to start writing songs. On the other hand, he has been raised by a strict mother who wanted him to go for a safe profession like engineering. But then he enters college; he has many dreams, not limited to his professional side. The coming-of-age journey of his character intrigued me the most about him and will be relatable to everyone.
Pablo is a simple guy and at an age where certain other things around him haven’t corrupted him. So I had to get into his mind space, that of a simple guy who goes to many publishing houses, wanting his story to be published but does not get that opportunity. In Chandernagore, where does he go and have his tea, who are his friends, where does he go and hang out with his friends — all of that I focused on, because he is an introvert. I was very specific about his wardrobe; I did an entire set of shopping for Pablo, not from where I buy clothes. I was very clear about using a phone which had to be Pablo’s and not mine.
How was it working with Khogen, our dog friend from the film?
His actual name is Tommy, and he is the most experienced actor in our film. He has done five-six Bollywood films, also Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam films and even web shows, so he would get all the five-star treatment there! He would relax, have the food given to him, and all of that. He dropped in on the set after seven-eight days into the shoot, so although I am a dog lover, there wasn’t a lot of time to become friends and as per the script, Pablo is unsure of dogs, so I wasn’t supposed to befriend him either, but it just clicked with him. Doing comedy scenes are okay, but in emotionally-intense scenes it gets difficult, and I had very difficult scenes with him, but it all fell into place.
He had a trainer who instructed him throughout, but they are wise and intelligent anyway. I’ve never acted with any other animal before so it was weird in a very positive way and an experience of a lifetime.
The team enjoyed... Hot-off-the-tandoor platter, Thai chicken spring roll, Half-roast chicken and Cloud Nine Iced Tea
Parts of the film were shot in Chandernagore?
It was unbelievable! I think people have got tired of going to Darjeeling and Digha — they must go to these places — I’ve been to Chandernagore and Serampore before but for somebody who has not been there, it is so different. Serampore college was beautiful — the classes, the structures. You open the back gate of the college and there’s river Ganga looking at you! So, there’s a unique way of life for the students of this college.
How was the experience of working with Anindya?
I have been a huge fan of Anindyada and Chandrabindoo, I have literally grown up listening to their songs. So when the call came from him, I recognised his voice immediately... he was so humble and still introduced himself. People usually know him as a singer but he is an excellent writer too. It was a dream come true working with someone so humble and confident!
