The shoot of Tathagata Mukherjee’s new film Raas — Hariye Jaoa Bangalider Golpo starts in January. The film stars Vikram Chatterjee, Devlina Kumar, Anashua Majumdar, Anirban Chakrabarti, Ranojoy Bishnu, Arna Mukhopadhyay, Sudip Mukherjee, Shankar Debnath, Parijat Chaudhuri, Apratim Chatterjee and more. “It’s a film, which has plenty of equally important characters,” said Vikram, who plays the protagonist in Raas.
He has been away from his para friends and misses a sense of togetherness and belonging. He feels that he has to return to his roots before he leaves for a job he’s getting abroad. He visits his childhood neighbourhood in a locality called Manikpur and tries to revive the essence of his lost childhood.
“I’m really grateful for my childhood because I grew up in a time when there was no social media, and Raas takes me back to the good old days when there was a deep human connection between people. I grew up in a neighbourhood where we were all closely connected, and we used to hang out with each other and play together... if there was a power cut we’d take a break and get together for a nice adda session. Life was carefree, people were unbothered about social media validation. Raas presents a story of the lost culture and essence of the 1980s that had a lot more human connection than now. The film has some great actors in it. As a protagonist I’m looking back at my roots,” said Vikram.
For Tathagata, Raas is a very personal film. “It highlights some pertinent thoughts about the lost times. Kindness and human connection grapple amidst the competition for social media likes and validation. It’s the story of Bengalis who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, those were simpler times when life was more meaningful and deep,” said director Tathagata Mukherjee. “I think the film is extremely significant in the present times and will be relatable for a lot of people from the era,” he added.
“I’m really looking forward to the film because it has a Bengali flavour. It’s the kind of film that I watched growing up. I play someone who sings, dances, is a happy soul and who’s very much like me. It tells a story of families, neighbourhoods, and a para culture that used to be there before. Thankfully, I’ve grown up in a para and I can relate to the story very much and it feels like a personal story. I’m getting a chance to participate in extensive workshops with the director and it’s a lovely experience to work with such senior actors and friends. It’s a great feeling to be a part of this family,” said Devlina Kumar.
