Making a film on an icon like Rabindranath Tagore is always a challenge, and it is an even bigger challenge when it is a cross-country venture that would appeal to a niche audience. My Kolkata spoke to Suraj Kumar, managing director of Johnsons Suraj Films International, who was the co-producer for the Indo-Argentinian film Thinking of Him, directed by Argentine auteur Pablo Cesar and starring Victor Banerjee as Tagore and Eleonora Wexler as Victoria Ocampo, about the making of the film.
My Kolkata: What made you take on this project?
Suraj Kumar: I was making advertising films as well as documentary films based on social issues for the development sector and for the various central government ministries and international organisations like WHO and UNICEF but I always wanted to make a feature film. Amarendra Khatua, who was the Indian Ambassador to Argentina at that time, told me that Argentine director Pablo Cesar was looking for a co-producer and connected me to him. Pablo shared the script with me. I read it in one go and told Pablo I am going to take up the project. So, that is how Thinking of Him started.
Watch the trailer here.
'People’s perception is that Tagore and Ocampo had a romantic relationship'
Is Rabindranath Tagore of particular interest to you?
Before Independence there were two Indian icons who were globally famous. One was Gandhiji and the other was Gurudev Tagore. There have been quite a few films on Gandhi, but not really on Tagore. So, I thought this India-Argentina co-production based on the bond between Tagore and Victoria Ocampo was a great idea. Their story also fascinated me personally.
What has been the reception like at the various festivals the film has travelled to?
This film has been to seven major international festivals. It has been part of closing film at India International Film Festival (IFFI 2017), Goa, Dhaka International film Festival (2018), Asia Pacific Film Festival (2018), Festival International De Cine De Mar Del Plata (2018), Argentina, Los Angeles International Film Festival (2018), Indian Film Festival (2019), Hungary….
You said at the screening (at ICCR on May 4) that this look at Rabindranath Tagore and Victoria Ocampo is ‘different’; can you elaborate?
People’s perception is that Tagore and Ocampo had a romantic relationship, but the fact is that it was more an intellectual, emotional and spiritual connection and that comes out in this movie.
Suraj Kumar (right) with director Pablo Cesar (left) on the sets of ‘Thinking of Him’
What were some of the challenges you faced while making the movie?
We had major challenges during the shooting schedule in Bolpur. We were forced to hire 30 per cent technicians from Kolkata as per their guild rule, which over-staffed the production as we already had crew from Argentina, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Handling the local production crew proved to be a real challenge.
You wanted the film to be released before the pandemic. Why did it get delayed?
I started looking for a distributor just after the India International Film Festival (2017), Goa, but no distributors were ready to release the film in theatres because it was not a commercial film. Finally I took the initiative to release the film before the pandemic but it got delayed again and then the pandemic hit. So I decided to release it on the occasion of Tagore’s 161st birth anniversary.
What is your expectation from the Kolkata audience?
I want the Kolkata audience to see this film and know how Gurudev Tagore was seen and loved in the Latin American country.
