Following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023, Wendy Bednarz’s directorial debut feature film, Yellow Bus, had its Asia premiere at Jio MAMI 2023 in Mumbai. The film is a poignant drama starring Tannishtha Chatterjee and Amit Sial. In a heartfelt conversation, Tannishtha Chatterjee talks about Yellow Bus, her character, motherhood and the challenges of shooting the film.

What was your reaction when Yellow Bus was offered to you?

Tannishtha Chatterjee: I was in two minds. On the one hand, I thought that it was a fabulous role as an actor. I had become a mother three years before this film was offered to me. I knew that I could do justice to the part. But on the other hand, I was feeling tortured wondering whether I should be putting myself into that situation. Because as an actor, you have to imagine, ‘How would I react if this happened to me?’ and ‘Why do I want to do that to myself?’

Initially, it was that dichotomy. But once I had a chat with director Wendy Bednarz on Zoom because she lives in Abu Dhabi, we absolutely hit it off on the first note itself. We connected over her vision and how she saw the role. She has two children, and our main producer Nadia Eliewat also has two kids, so it was sort of a thing where mothers connected with the whole thing — the aspirations that mothers have for their kids and the pressures that kids face. Maybe it was more in our parents’ generation. We try to balance it out a little. Yet, it is still there and especially how immigrants face this and that’s why they move out of their countries in search of a better life for themselves and their kids. But it’s not always like that, right? Tragedies also happen. Yellow Bus is a heartbreaking story.

Is Yellow Bus inspired by real-life incidents?

Tannishtha Chatterjee: Yes, it is inspired by true events.

How did you prepare for a character that goes through such extreme pain and emotional turmoil?

Tannishtha Chatterjee: I did not prepare for it. If I had prepared, I probably would have ended up in a mental asylum. I was disturbed throughout filming. I just put myself into that situation. I had to come out of it constantly.

My producers Nadia Eliewat and Guneet Monga Kapoor had given me the option of taking my daughter with me to the shoot because I was going to be out of India for five-six weeks. That was very sweet of them but I chose not to. Because, first, I didn’t want to disturb my daughter’s schedule. Second, I didn’t want to come back after this trauma (shooting) and then meet my daughter.

I wanted to disconnect myself and just be the actor and not think about my daughter at all. Even then it was difficult because every time I saw the little girl who was playing the part, I just couldn’t see her. Losing your child is obviously the worst that could happen to any human being.

What were the other challenges of shooting the film in Abu Dhabi?

Tannishtha Chatterjee: On the last three days of the shoot, 20 people on the set got Covid. I didn’t get it, Wendy the director didn’t get it and the DOP did not get it. So, the ones affected by the virus were isolated and we somehow finished the shoot. The rules and precautions in UAE were strict, so we had to take at least three tests before we could go on set. There were very few cases in the UAE but there were many in India at that time (the second wave).

Yellow Bus had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2023. Any response or reaction to the film that has stayed with you?

Tannishtha Chatterjee: Oh yeah. At TIFF, there was a woman who was howling during the screening. There was another woman who cried during the Q&A session because she lost her brother in a similar way. She said, ‘My mother would love to watch this film and it will be cathartic for her.’ There were a lot of emotional reactions like that.

I saw the film for the first time at TIFF. And the first 15 minutes, my co-actor Kinda Alloush from Syria, who is a huge Middle-Eastern star, and I were holding hands and we had tears in our eyes. Kinda is also a mother. For mothers, it is a difficult film to watch. You never want this to happen to anyone.

You have a daughter. You are a daughter. How would you describe a parent’s love for their child?

Tannishtha Chatterjee: It is unconditional. It is the most secure relationship from their side. Not from the child’s side always. Because as we grow up, we have so many other things and parents become a part of our lives. But for parents, the child is always the centre of their lives. My parents have always made sacrifices for me. If the world falls apart, they are always there for me. And that security is so amazing, just to feel it. I try to provide that to my child.

Obviously, therefore, it is devastating when we lose our parents. That unconditional space that you could always go to is not there anymore. Having said that, there are problems in a parent-child relationship — pressures, expectations and responsibilities. Sometimes, parents’ love can also be toxic and there are things like honour killings. But I think that’s a problem with patriarchy, not parental love.

Playing such a challenging role can give you something and also take away a part of you. What did Yellow Bus give you and take from you?

Tannishtha Chatterjee: I feel every film makes me grow. It doesn’t empty me in any way. It enriches me and Yellow Bus did that in many ways. I am going to be 43. At this age, we are still getting these fantastic roles, which is great. We are also crossing borders. Yellow Bus is such a beautiful collaboration between India, UAE, Jordan and the USA. Some of the cast members are from Syria. This across-borders collaboration was enriching.

This whole idea of mothers getting together and working also creates an atmosphere that is conducive to supporting motherhood; it felt wonderful. The fact that we can be mothers and working women and we understand each other. At times, Wendy (director) had nanny problems during the shoot, so we used to take turns to play with her and Nadia’s children.