You have been together for many years now and you’ll be completing 10 years on February 12.

Ankush: It is a magical journey! And we don’t know how these 10 years just went by. We don’t celebrate anniversaries. We don’t do extravagant things on V-Day... we go with the flow.

Oindrila: We have always been together.

Ankush: From the very beginning we just knew that we’ll have a future together.

How have you dealt with rumours of link-ups in the past?

Ankush: We talk it out in a light-hearted manner. There is nothing serious about it. We have had misunderstandings yes, but our trust and faith in each other is so strong that we have gone past that. We are hugely connected to each other.

Oindrila: We are always talking to each other, connecting on various levels, and we make up really fast, if we ever have a fight.

Ankush: We do so many things together, from eating out, going shopping to watching movies.

Why did it take so long to do your first film together?

Ankush: I believe in destiny. I knew if it has to happen it’ll happen at the right time. Earlier I had felt a bit shy about suggesting her name to anyone. At the same time, she is a star on television. So I did not think about it. For Magic also, Rajada (Raja Chanda, director) made the casting choice. I am doing three films with her after this. And all these three films went to her first.

So will you be doing films together now? Or are you open to doing films separately as well?

Ankush: We are open to doing films separately, of course. That’s a different zone. It’d be nice to go for an outdoor shoot of a film, do a bit of song and dance!

Will she be there?

Ankush: No! We’ll only do realistic films together here (laughs out loud).

Oindrila: Jokes apart, Ankush has been going for outdoor shoots for many years now. And he had asked me to travel with him on many occasions for his outdoor shoots. But I have not gone with him. I did not feel like it.

Ankush: We do all kinds of things together. So, on outdoor shoots, she feels that she would not like to go out anywhere on her own. She feels she’ll get bored. These days people want to see realistic things in mainstream films. So the song and dance in Switzerland is not happening right now. People might like to watch the song and dance unfolding in the drawing room. This is a phase.

How was the experience of working together for the first time?

Oindrila: It was really good. Though my first day on the sets of Magic did not go great.

Ankush: Her first two shots did not come out well because she was a bit tense. It was post-lockdown, and the space was really hot. And we were doing a vital scene.

Oindrila: I was flushed.

Ankush: Of course shooting patterns of cinema and serial are different. The acting style is different as well. It was a new team for her. And she had to wait for almost eight hours for her first shot... and she was overthinking the scene... trying to keep in mind too many things. But from the third take, she was so, so, so good. It was amazing.

What did you discover about each other as actors?

Ankush: Her homework is really strong. And she is a natural actor. And she is high on confidence. It reflects on screen.

Oindrila: His homework... and I got glimpses of that during the workshop. And he can easily become or be what the director wants him to do. He can perfectly do the mainstream thing as well as the serious role. And he never makes one feel that he has more experience in cinema or knows more. He was open to taking a couple of suggestions from me on set. He is very cool and calm.

Do you feel the themes of mainstream cinema are changing?

Ankush: See, we have to keep the realistic zone in mind now. That space is really important. The audience can relate to that. But can we do away with the action scenes or the songs? We have to balance it out. We don’t have huge, extravagant budgets for our films. We have dal and bhaat and we cannot make biryani out of it. But we can make amazing khichudi. We can play to our strengths... the great story, script and performances.

A punch thrown by the hero will draw cheers from the crowd. Now if the audience can connect with the reason why he is throwing the punch, that’ll be the best thing. That is required now in mainstream films. And I am happy now that we have new writers... and I’ve a lineup of 10-11 films next and not one of them is a remake. The focus is now on original content. The more you reinvent, the more you stay relevant.

Oindrila: In terms of fame and money, films and serials have become equal. Popular actors are known by the names of their characters in serials.

Tell us about Magic, which releases on February 12?

Ankush: What can magic bring to people’s lives? That is one of the themes. Magic happens in all our lives, in a broader sense. It is not restricted to the sleight of the hand. If something wrong happens to us, who will take care of that? The film follows Indrajit and he has a lot of repressed feelings in him, which is related to his past and present. Indrajit meets Kriti (Oindrila), a senior designer. They fall in love but the way it happens is very relatable. There is a feel-good factor to it. And then comes the thrill and suspense part also!

Oindrila: I was waiting for the right film to come my way. Offers came but didn’t work out. Some were too hero-oriented. I did not have much to do in those projects that were offered to me in the past. But I felt Magic was the perfect film for me. Our fans are really happy... they have been telling us on social media to do something together for a long, long time. Finally it is happening. I really liked the storyline.

We would go through the script together at home after pack up and plan out the details of scenes for next day. We would rehearse. And I can memorise my lines really well... because of the serials I have done.

Both of you are very active on social media. You are putting moments of your daily lives out there on a regular basis. Will that have an effect on how people perceive your characters when they watch the film?

Oindrila: People have been seeing me on TV every day for so many years. It does not make a difference now.

Ankush: Earlier artistes would only be seen on screen and people would believe whatever they saw on screen. A villain would have a lasting effect. That illusion is not there. And people only care for the story... not what the online image is of a star. Also, no one keeps their relationship status secret any more. Earlier that used to happen a lot... stars felt it would affect their stardom. But now everyone is so open about their relationships, who they are dating. The audience are extremely intelligent and practical now. People just want to see good stories with good performances on screen. Coloured hair does not work anymore. Only your performance does. That’s the X factor. People are exposed to world cinema. Which is why the level of competition is so high now.

Will you do a web series?

Ankush and Oindrila: Yes, we are open to it and would love to do it.

Pictures: Pabitra Das

Styling: Rudra Saha