Poet-turned-director Promita Bhowmik's debut feature film, Ahana, the story of a woman writer, is set to target international film festivals before its theatrical release. The film follows the journey of Ahana, meandering through career milestones, marital discords and social taboos. Will she be able to win her battle against the odds? This is what Ahana explores through its story.
The film stars Sudipta Chakraborty in the titular role. Joy Sengupta plays Ahana’s husband Rudranil while Priyobrata Sen Sarkar will be seen as Ahana’s friend Aditya. Soumya Sengupta plays Ahana’s father-in-law Bimalendu’s character. The film has Sukriti Lahori, Payel Rakshit, and Senjuti Roy Mukherjee as other important characters.
"I play an author for the first time. I have never played a character like Ahana before. Directors often offer me characters where I am playing someone who is very upright, smart... someone who protests a lot. Maybe they feel I am like that in real life. I don't know. The real joy is when I get to play a character who is not at all like me. That's why I am an actor, who can play various characters. Meanwhile, Ahana is very naive, quiet, and does not talk too much... she lets things happen to her. She takes time to finally make a decision. I liked the story of Ahana. I had worked with Promita earlier on a short film; she is a cool and comfortable director," said Sudipta, who has worked with a clutch of first-time feature-film directors in the past.
"I have always worked with and supported them. They are enthusiastic and they have a lot to prove. Promita is very open to discussion and debate. When it comes to new directors, I have a word with them at the beginning. I try to figure out how are they trying to visualise the story... what they are trying to express. Once I am convinced, I come on board. For example, I really liked the way Kamaleswar Mukherjee presented Uro Chiti to me for the first time. Or when Anindya Chattopadhyay told me the story of Open Tee Bioscope," added the talented actress.
Promita and Sudipta had multiple sessions where they discussed and dissected Sudipta's character. "Once we were on the same page, we knew that we were ready to shoot. Ahana was shaped by our discussions," added Sudipta.
Promita, the director of the film, is also the lady behind the story, screenplay and dialogues. She has also produced the film under the banner Smiling Earth Films. Before this, Promita had directed one short documentary film and one poetry film. Her films were acclaimed in several prestigious international film festivals. Then she came up with her first short film Porichoy starring Sudipta and Koneenica Banerjee. This film tries to understand what self-identity could possibly mean for a woman in today’s India. Promita then made another short film, Probaho, starring veteran actress Madhabi Mukherjee. This short film talks about a woman, who lost her near and dear ones in the pandemic. But then she tries to rediscover her life and embrace life in a positive approach despite all negativities. Both Porichay and Probaho won international awards and accolades.
