Actress Rupsha Guha has wrapped up the shoot of a new featurette that she has directed. Starring Schiraaz Tanksalwala, Ashoke Viswanathan, Kheya Chattopadhyay, Rana Basu Thakur and Bidyut Das, How Are You Feroz? tells the story of an antique art dealer at crossroads to decide whether the antiques in his possession are just transactional objects for his business or an essential part of his being. A t2 chat.
What is the genesis of this featurette?
The origin was space. I went to the house of an antique dealer. There were so many contradictory and conflicting stories in the art pieces that have no substitute. Almost everyone has felt a sensory relation with objects which have travelled through time. This relation has always attracted and intrigued me and I wanted to explore that through my narrative.
How did the idea come to you?
The moment I met the antique art dealer Schiraaz I was struck by the passion and verve with which he told me stories about his possession. Which led me to question — does he really want to sell? That was the trigger for the story. The main protagonist Feroz is based on this man but the narrative largely is a figment of my imagination.
Why did you feel it was necessary to tell the story?
Because I felt its relevance in contemporary times. The struggle and coming to terms of an individual with himself. The need to stay back through creation in the face of immense loss. To merge and be identified with them. This is a general take on any artist. In my story the central character of Feroz, although not an artist himself, is so passionate about art, that he conjures them to life and becomes one with that world.
Why turn to direction?
I consider myself an actor first and as an actor I have experienced many narratives play out through me. It was natural that those experiences would create a desire to create narratives in their wake. As a director I wanted to give voice to those traces of narratives which had already, unknown to me, become a part of my subconscious. I wanted to share my imagination with everyone.
On the set The Telegraph Picture
How was your shooting experience?
It was quite intense actually. I had already directed a film before but the scale of this project far exceeded that. There is nothing like seeing your imagination come alive. It is intoxicating. I had a fabulous team as well to share my journey.
What kind of challenges did you face while directing this featurette?
The primary challenge was to deal with a non-actor. I tried casting a professional actor for the lead. But the face of Schiraaz kept chasing me. After all, it was his character and presence which engendered the story in the first place. Since he had no experience it was a challenge to device a method for communicating with him. It was wonderful to see him respond well to the context.
What were the lessons learnt as a director?
I learnt to be flexible and adaptive yet hold on tight to my vision .The important thing for me is to be able to communicate my ideas to different people in the team with conviction and confidence. People with different temperaments and approach. There’s no thumb rule for this but it was quite exciting to find everyone aligned with the idea.
Who are your favourite directors?
I have been influenced by too many directors to create a hierarchy. I have been enchanted by Satyajit Ray, mesmerised by Woody Allen, in awe of Jim Jarmusch and spellbound by Hitchcock. I am also influenced a great deal by the many directors I have had the good fortune to work with or watch from close proximity. In the process I have learnt to pick up the good and forego the bad.
What is the storyline?
The story is woven primarily as a response to the question ‘How are you Feroz?’, the first line of a letter, which incidentally is also the name of the film. In many ways the main instigator of the film is this letter. The story unfolds around this question with implications both on the character of Feroz and the narrative.
What was your takeaway from the whole experience?
This experience put faith in my conviction never to lose hope, because the journey from conception to its final materialisation is a long and arduous walk and only you can walk in your shoes.
Will you direct more films?
If a narrative chooses to express itself through me, if it keeps me awake at night, if it pains not to see it play out, and gives an equal amount of joy when it does, of course I will.