Director Srimanta Senguptta has wrapped up the shoot of the film Abar Bochhor Koori Pore, starring Abir Chatterjee, Arpita Chatterjee, Rudranil Ghosh and Tnusree. Abar Bochhor Koori Pore (produced by PSS Entertainments and Promod Films) is about a reunion of school friends. Initially, the shoot of the film was scheduled to start in March last year. But it got postponed due to the Covid-19 situation and the lockdown that followed. The team got back together and finally wrapped up the shoot last week. On the sets, it felt like a reunion for the team. Real met reel somehow. A chat with Srimanta...

When and how did you conceive the idea for the film?

The idea of the story came to me in 2009, but then I couldn’t write it at that point of time. I started writing it in 2016 with co-writer Monali Senchowdhury. She and I wrote the story and screenplay. Then I wrote the dialogues.

Is the film autobiographical to some extent?

I won’t say it’s autobiographical. But some of the scenes and characteristics are heavily taken from real life.

What did you want to explore through the theme of the story?

The evergreen feeling of reunion. I would like to see people planning a reunion with their own gang of friends after watching this film. That would make me really happy.

The film was announced before the pandemic. How did you deal with the delay?

It was the longest wait of my life! But I used the time to work on my script.

How was it like working with Abir, Arpita, Rudranil and Tnusree? What are their strong points as actors?

It was a fabulous experience! They are just superb... very, very cooperative. They just made paper characters real-life people.

One of Abir’s strengths is his clarity of thought, and he understood the essence and soul of his character after the first reading. He is so good in the film. Also, Abir has a very sharp memory. Rudranil Ghosh got into the skin of his character brilliantly and added dimensions to it.

Arpita Chatterjee’s character is a complex one, and she brought out the layers very well. She has turned in an amazing performance. She worked on the silences beautifully. People will be able to connect to Tnusree’s character. She plays a middle-class housewife managing the family, and has brought out the nuances marvellously.

What was the most challenging part for you to shoot?

Manage time, especially in the hills.

How did it feel when the shoot was wrapped up finally?

It is impossible to explain... I wrote this for four years. And waited a whole year to start shoot, so you can imagine.

Know the film

The film Abar Bochhor Koori Pore is about a reunion of school friends who decide to revisit their golden days after 20 years. Arun has worked from scratch to make himself successful and is now in the corporate world. Bonnie, a doctor, is busy in her own life, going through some transformative changes. Nilanjana is busy with her family. Dutta is the only one currently based in Calcutta and perpetually planning a long-pending reunion.