Director Raajhorshee De’s Abar Kanchenjunga finally has a release date after a wait of two years. Set to release on April 1, the film is a tribute to Satyajit Ray and inspired from his films Kanchenjungha and Aranyer Din Ratri. Starring a huge cast of 17 actors, the film is a family drama with a hint of suspense. t2 caught up with some of the cast members, on their varied experiences of being a part of this film.
DARJEELING LOVE
Gaurav Chakrabarty plays Rohit Deb, the youngest brother in the family. Rohit comes to meet his family after a long time and comes home with a surprise. “This character has a lot of grey shades that attracted me towards the character,” said Gaurav. Talking about shooting in Darjeeling, he said, “Darjeeling is very close to my heart. I shot for my first film there and met my wife there. I take every opportunity to go back there and wish Ridhima was there with me,” he added.
A SHADE OF GREY
Rahul Arunoday Banerjee’s character Debesh has a grey shade with more of black. An idealist at one point, actively involved in theatre, he transforms into a person who refuses to mingle with anyone without any self-interest. “The negative aspect interested me about the character. I had to prepare for this character by studying real-life experiences. Shooting for this film was one of the finest experiences of my life. The scene where the four brothers fall out is closest to my heart,” said Rahul.
A DIFFERENT ROLE
Ritoja, portrayed by Ranieeta Dash on screen is a character with an illicit love affair in the family. “When I got this character from Raajhorsheeda, I was not very convinced. I wasn’t sure how the Bengali audience would react to this affair. I have always played very positive characters. Raajhorsheeda convinced me how her love is true and then I realised while playing this character that the character has no negative shade. She keeps her love to herself and stays in her own world,” said Ranieeta.
FAVOURITE GENRE
Devlina Kumar plays the character of Angelina, a non-Bengali married into the Bengali family of the Deb’s and has an important role in the climax of the film. “From the beginning we knew the film would be shot in Darjeeling, and that was a very interesting thing for me. I was also interested in the film as it is a family drama, a genre I am extremely fond of and watched all my life,” said Devlina.
DEBUT DELIGHT
Sohini Guha Roy, who is debuting in films with Abar Kanchenjunga plays the role of Atisha, a carefree girl, lost in her own world. “It was a homecoming experience for me as I hail from North Bengal. We had so much fun on set that we hardly realised how we completed the shooting. There was a lot to learn. My biggest learning was the switch on-switch off process of an actor,” said Sohini.
Deboshree Ganguly plays the character of Ritangana in her debut film,who is Ritoja’s (played by Ranieeta Dash) mother. “I have never acted before and my first shot in the film was with Arpitadi (Chatterjee). I was extremely nervous but the entire unit ambience was so nice that no one made me feel like a first-timer in this profession,” said Deboshree.
SHOO-TEA-ING MEMORIES!
Anindya Chatterjee will be seen playing Sunayan, the eldest grandson of the family, son of Tridib and Rini. Recalling a fun memory from set, he said, “I am not a tea person but since we were all at Darjeeling, I went to buy some. This guy gave me some Rs 40,000 per kilo tea, some fancy tea. The next morning I tried making it and after three-four minutes, it was just like Bisleri water. The whole experience was really funny and brilliant for the crew and the cast.”
SPILLING THE BEANS
For Priyanka Rati Pal, who plays the character of Sananda in the film, shooting was a balance of good adda and work. Spilling the beans about a co-actor from set, she shared, “Anindya (Chatterjee) loves to eat so much that even after the whole cast completed their meal, he used to order food from four other places, pack those and bring it to the hotel and we used to all have it together at night.”
Pictures: Sourced from Raajhorshee De