The shoot of Saptaswa Basu’s new thriller Doctor Bakshi, starring Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Subhashree Ganguly, Bonny and Maahi, is going on at a steady pace. The director has already completed 70 per cent of the shoot. The film revolves around a charming doctor who takes up his own path of justice, a writer who is caught in a web of murder mystery and a criminal recently out of jail. The Telegraph chats with Saptaswa....
Tell us about Parambrata, Subhashree and Bonny’s looks in the film?
Subhashree is playing a novelist, Bonny will be seen as a criminal recently released from prison while Parambratada is playing the title character of a doctor. So we have experimented with their looks a lot. Bonny has been majorly seen previously in a romantic or action-oriented image. I have tried to add a vulnerability of a common man in his image in this work. Even being a criminal, he has his moral code and reasons of his actions. So we have tried to put in the grey shade that is blended with realism. Subhashree will be seen in a very layered character. Her perspective unfolds the whole story. We do not know if she is an unfaithful narrator. So there is quite a mystery to her body language and dialogues, maybe in a second visit to the film people will notice certain clues sprinkled throughout her look and shades. Parambratada will be seen as a smart, charismatic and witty doctor. His style and methods are unconventional and he serves justice in his own format. So he will be seen in a fresh and unique look.
Subhashree Ganguly.
How was the shooting experience till now?
We have shot Doctor Bakshi for around 10 days and it has turned out well. We shot in the city’s outskirts, built sets and also used a few real medical facilities. Since we are dealing with a number of medical scams we have tried to keep the look edgy and real. People will immediately connect with the scenes. It is tough to capture such scenes in this pandemic time as there are several restrictions still we tried to achieve the best output, be it any action sequence or surgery-related scenes. Regularly I took consultation from few doctors so that we do not project any incorrect medical reference. I would say the shoot was very tough and time specific and we enjoyed the challenge.
Tell us about the locations you have picked?
Our shoot locations include various medical facilities, operation theatre, doctor’s chamber, an experimental lab facility, outskirts of the city, an orphanage, cityscapes and an outdoor schedule at Kalimpong and Kurseong. Of these locations, many were built from scratch as shooting in controlled sets is most feasible and keeps us safe in this pandemic situation. We have shot in real medical institutes too with proper safety measures. Our story revolves around this medical industry and we wanted to delve in right into its core to properly bring out the essence of a taut medical thriller on screen. We chose or built the locations following the script and we had to keep in mind that we are working on a limited number of days. So the deadlines were tight and we needed to utilise our resources to the fullest.
Why pick those specific locations and how will they inform the story?
In the film we will be showing medical cases in three separate hospitals plus the setup from where Dr Bakshi operates. Other than that, a hotel and an orphanage are the two key locations. Mrinalini goes to a hill station to spend some quality time of her own and to start off a new novel. The mystery starts to build from there. We are yet to shoot this outdoor schedule in the hills. The locations are designed carefully by choosing the colour palette, keeping a balance with the costume design and the props used. They will reinforce the thrill factor of the script and help to build a world of its own.
Since Doctor Bakshi is a spin-off of Pratidwandi, are you keeping the world of Pratidwandi in mind?
Yes, Doctor Bakshi is designed as a spin-off film, though it’s completely a standalone feature and does not have any element of sequel in it. We have kept themes and certain clues from Pratidwandi here. Since Dr Bakshi is being played by Parambratada here, there will be certain elements and thematic connections to whether it is the same doctor or a hidden twist exists. Overall we tried to keep the connection in a simplified manner so that we can highlight more on the new story and fresh set of characters.
Parambrata Chattopadhyay.
How does Param and Subhashree approach their scenes? How different are their methods?
Both Parambratada and Subhashree have been playing a variety of characters over the years and both know the craft and technical aspects well. Paramda being a film-maker himself approaches every scene with an aesthetic that makes the character more organic. It is my first time working with Subhashree and am quite pleased with the experience. She is a director’s actor and always comes prepared on the set and remembers all her lines. Every day before shoot she discusses the set of scenes for that day and designs an arc or mood board for every scene. Both Paramda and Subhashree have their own set of methods, which is quite interesting to see and learn from. They both rehearse their parts before the shot and while doing so make certain intelligent improvs on set that make the scene feel more natural.
Maahi.
Bonny Sengupta.
Who is Bonny playing in the film?
Bonny plays Aditya, a criminal recently released from prison. He has certain shades in his character and what is his enmity with our title character or what he has to do with the murder mystery forms the crux of the story.
What is the status of Kimbadanti?
Kimbadanti (Legend) is under development. We are doing the first draft of the screenplay. Since it’s a period piece we are doing a lot of research work to remain true to the time we are writing about.
What is the storyline of Kimbadanti?
Kimbadanti deals with a group of Indian soldiers who were forced to get involved in World War I by the British. They go missing near an island along with a number of army members and their families start an extensive search for them. This journey forms the storyline of the film against the backdrop of the World War, British imperialism and a hint of science fiction. The film will be an alternative history or historical fiction and is targeted to be a big-scale action adventure feature.