Critically acclaimed filmmaker Shoojit Sircar has expressed his desire to direct a Bangla movie, but only after he gets a good grasp over the language.
A ‘probashi’ (non-resident) Bengali who grew up in Delhi, Sircar said he has not been exposed to an environment where he could learn the nuances of his mother tongue.
“I spent the major part of my childhood in Delhi, and was exposed to 'Bangaliana' (Bengaliness) only at a later stage of my life. I studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya and hence had limited contact with Bangla. I became more acquainted with Bangla during my frequent trips to West Bengal and Kolkata in my youth. Once I am confident that I have learnt the nuances of Bangla, I will direct a movie in the language,” the ‘Piku’ director told reporters before screening of his movie ‘Sardar Udham’ at the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival.
The 'Pink' director, who has produced Bangla films ‘Aparajito Tumi’ (2012) and ‘Open Tee Bioscope’ (2015), said, “I have posters of various movies directed by Satyajit Ray in my office.”
About ‘Sardar Udham’, which was earlier released on OTT (over-the-top) platforms, Sircar said, “I had never done a period film before. We shot in Amritsar and for the sequences in London, we shot in Moscow and St. Petersburg to recreate the 1920s and 1930s era.”
The revolutionary assassinated former Punjab lieutenant governor Michael O'Dwyer following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in which hundreds of innocent civilians were gunned down by a military unit led by Colonel Reginald Dyer at the ground close to Golden Temple on April 13, 1919, which was Baisakhi or the New Year.
“I had worked for long to make the movie a reality. But there is very few literature about Udham Singh, who is our national hero,” he said.
“I would definitely want people to see Sardar Udham on the big screen. It had a great opening on OTT. I am happy that people in Kolkata are able to see it at KIFF. Whether the Vicky Kaushal starrer will be released in theatres is up to the producer,” he added.