Raajhorshee De’s Abar Kanchenjunga, produced by Akshatt K Pandey and Shilpi A Pandey, is all set to release in the theatres on April 1. A family drama set in Darjeeling, the film features an ensemble cast of 17 actors. A Telegraph chat with a bunch of its cast members...
The Ensemble Cast
Saswata Chatterjee plays the role of Sumitro, Semanti’s (played by Arpita Chatterjee) husband. “All the roles are important in this film and so many people are acting together, which is quite difficult. But everybody has a place in this film and everybody’s character is important. After completing the shoot we used to all give adda together and have food together. The group was very good. We had like-minded people. There were people acting for the first time and old-timers like us, but we never felt the difference,” he said.
Adda Sessions
Arpita Chatterjee portrays the role of Semanti in the film, the only Deb sister, who hails from an affluent Bengali family, speaks her mind always and is extremely confident. “The entire outdoor shoot, every moment was very enjoyable. It was a very big cast and crew. Post shoot, we used to sit together and chat,” shared Arpita.
Feeling Positive
Koushik Sen will be seen in the role of Tridib Deb, the eldest of all the Deb brothers. “My character is a good man but the way we classify good or bad is far from reality. In reality we are all grey . The shoot helped us to discover ourselves in a different way. The pandemic hit us and then suddenly we went to a place that is so refreshing… it created some amount of positivity within us. It was bright, sunny and we were in good company,” shared Sen.
A Complex Character
Ruchira, who is the wife of one of the Deb brothers called Debesh, is played by Tnusree C. Talking about her character, Tnusree said, “Ruchira sings really well. Her husband is a political personality and is very busy. That’s why their relationship is not so good. It is a complex character. The character attracted me to do the film. It was a great experience.”
The Kanchenjunga View
Bidipta Chakraborty who acts in the role of Rini, is the wife of the eldest son of the Deb family. Recalling memories from the outdoor shoot, she said, “We got very clear weather in Darjeeling throughout the shoot. We went in November, which is the best time to visit the hills. Everytime we tried to capture a frame, we got such a clear view of Kanchenjunga. That was really beautiful.”
Bonding Like a Family
Richa Sharma plays Surita in the film, Jagdish’s daughter, who is an independent and elegant lady. “Saswata Chatterjee’s funny one-liners kept us going and everyone used to laugh at those. We actually made a family there. Everyone was so caring about each other. I found a beautiful friend in Ranieeta (Dash). We used to be so engrossed in our conversations that people used to come and ask us what were we talking about the entire time,” said Richa.
Little Moments
Sudeb Deb, one of the Deb brothers, is played by Padmanabha Dasgupta. “One important aspect of my character is his love life. In life a lot of things remain unsaid, we can’t ask for forgiveness, we want to earn profit, which at that moment could be profitable but later we find out the opposite... such little moments got me interested in my character,” said Padmanabha Dasgupta.
Paying Tribute to the Master
Ashim Roy Chowdhury plays the role of Jagdish in the film, a non-Bengali person who takes care of the Deb family’s bungalow. “Raajhorshee’s film pays tribute to Satyajit Ray. This made me very happy and it felt good to be associated with this film. The thought behind this film made me very proud and I am happy that such a film has been made,” said Ashim Roy Chowdhury.
Producers Speak:
“It’s very exciting that finally people are going to theatres and the fear of pandemic is getting diminished. It’s good to see that currently released movies are doing business. The only hurdle that I faced was the fear because we just started to shoot after the first lockdown. We didn’t want the shoot to stop or get stuck midway. We are very excited for the release,” said Akshatt K Pandey and Shilpi A Pandey.
Pictures: Sourced from Raajhorshee De