After exploring North Bengal and Thailand in two films, the Jawker Dhan team is now shooting for their third in the series in ‘The Golden City’ of India, Jaisalmer. Their set for most days of their schedule in Rajasthan? The only living fort in India and a UNESCO World Heritage site, The Jaisalmer Fort. For Bengalis, the fort always resonates with the classic Bengali film, Satyajit Ray’s Sonar Kella. A visit to the fort is always filled with nostalgia for every Bengali and while walking through the cobbled alleys of the fort, if one is a Bengali, the fort dwellers and shopkeepers never fail to remind them that our very own Ray made them famous! “Sonar Killa” — they say as a greeting, like one says ‘salam’ or ‘namaskar’!
The weather is completely unpredictable. Some days shivering cold, some days blistering hot. And on some days, both! The team is shooting for long hours every day. They wake up for make-up while the city is covered in fog and return to their hotel late at night. “When one is shooting in a city like Jaisalmer, one can’t afford to waste much time…” — I heard a passing comment on the set. On the floors, the camera placed on a shoulder rig is following the heroes of the adventure series, who met each other in director Sayantan Ghosal’s second film in the series, Sagardwipey Jawker Dhan – Bimal, Kumar and Rubi played by Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Gaurav Chakrabarty and Koel Mallick. With them, are the other significant characters in the film, played by Suprabhat Banerjee and Shaheb Chatterjee.
Introducing the film, director Sayantan Ghosal told t2 in between takes: “Jawker Dhan is also about visuals. The fantastical, fantasy. We were thinking about where we can shoot in India… with Sonar Kella, people have a different nostalgia. So why not Jaisalmer? It looks amazing with the kella, the city made of sandstone, the desert and camels. There’s a fantastical element about Jaisalmer. We were thinking about what story we could do in this location, and then we thought of including the Sonar Kella link. How would Mukul be if he is brought back as a character in the present? The story is a spin-off of Mukul. In Sonar Kella, we saw that his father was a gemstone cutter. So, we tried to create a story revolving around his past life. The contemporary Mukul runs a bookshop in College Street. Some of his past life memories are coming back now. He is around 50-52 years old.”
Sonar Kellay Jawker Dhan
On the first day of our set visit, it was a post-lunch shot. Rubi, Kumar and Bimal walk in front of the Jain temple inside the fort. A little boy acting as the guide of the fort takes the trio around the fort. The trio while admiring the architecture comes across Shaheb Chatterjee’s character. Slyly following the trio is Suprabhat’s character.
Takes after takes follow as tourists stop by to watch the shoot, some fascinated by the camera on the rig, some identifying the actors, some watch just out of sheer curiosity and some fort dwellers out of their nostalgic association with Ray’s film. “It is a sea of humanity whenever we are shooting! It is not the easiest film to make in Jaisalmer. If it were a Rs 50-60 crore Hindi film, it would have been different. They would have sealed the fort and hired junior actors. But that is not the case here,” said Parambrata, when t2 caught up with him in between shots.
Gaurav echoed, “We are shooting in a fort that is bustling with activity. So, we have to concentrate really hard to get the dialogues right, the acting right. But I think it is more challenging for the director. Travel makes the shoot really fun except for this time because I am really missing my son (Dheer). We are fortunate to be in a profession that takes us to different places. Some of my friends who are doing desk jobs envy us. I am really grateful for it.”
Sonar Kellay Jawker Dhan
Our two days on the sets went by in the blink of an eye. Unlike most other sets that I have visited, there was so much to experience and so much to explore. On both days that we spent there, it was past midnight when Koel was still shooting her scenes on the floor along with others. “If you have been to Rajasthan and been to Jaisalmer and not seen the fort, then you have not seen anything! This film is a tribute to Satyajit Ray. Recently our shoot came to a halt for a while because a ceremony (the sacred thread ceremony for the Brahmins) was happening at 11.30pm. People were jumping, dancing and bursting crackers. I thought it was a wedding ceremony. It was so grand! Param joined them,” laughed Koel recalling the fun experiences on the floor.
Being a thriller, the scenes are intense. The location is beautiful and lively yet challenging. But the fun on the set is unaffected. “Param always has to rag somebody. I won’t call it teasing, it is way beyond that. I twist his arms every time he does that! (Laughs) We discuss so many things, from music, films and theatre to people. The other day, he was talking about perfumes…he knows a lot and it is lovely to have him around. I thought I would now ask him about saris and bindis! (Laughs) Gaurav is very brotherly. He has his crackling sense of humour, very sweet and sober. Shaheb, I am working with after two films. It is great! Everybody here is passionate and focused,” shared Koel.
Sonar Kellay Jawker Dhan
In between scenes, while the team is getting the shots ready, the actors get some free time. But when not prepping for shots, Parambrata goes on runs around the city. Koel gets busy, exploring the food, culture, people and the shops inside the fort, at times stopping by to click pictures at one of the exquisite viewpoints of the city on her way. Gaurav, with his Ray nostalgia, is busy exploring the Sonar Kella shoot spots. He was especially excited about Mukul bari. Shaheb, an architecture-and-heritage enthusiast, is at times accompanying Gaurav, singing songs for the team when Parambrata is playing the guitar, or just marvelling at the architectural beauty of the fort as it is his first-ever visit to this city. Suprabhat, playing the role of Mukul, is engrossed in his character and scenes most of the time.