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I love their approach to life, they think very positively about everything, despite not having anything: Saha, on people in villages

The reason why this film is important in today’s world is that it talks about fringe characters from society who are unspoken about: Actor Amartya Roy

“I had to completely change myself from an urban guy to a lorry driver. As a debutant actor, I think that is what is most liberating”

“It is very liberating to play someone else and be that person in such a convincing manner that people think that you have not played it but you were that person itself” – Lead Actress Rajnandini Paul

“Purulia is shown in this movie in such a picturesque way that no movie has shown before”

The media talks mostly about urban people; through this movie I wanted to talk about rural/village people and their problems.  Whether urban or rural, the emotions of people are more or less the same, said Abhishek Saha, Director of the Bengali film Uronchondi –showcased in the Indian Panorama Section at the 49^th International Film Festival of India in  Goa.   Saha was addressing a press conference today 22 November, 2018, along with actor Amartya Roy and lead actress Rajnandini Paul of the film.

The film is the story of three women from three generations who desperately need a break from their life situation.  Saha said the film is basically about the spirit of life, about the need for a break,  and freedom from day to day life. The Director said the entire film is shot on the road – it is a road  film where there are no walls,  it is all about sky, road and nature, he elaborated.

Picking up from where Saha left, actor Amartya explained why he believes the film is important. “The reason why this film is important in today’s world is that it talks about fringe characters from society who are unspoken about. My character is from Jharkhand border and Rajnandini Paul (actress) is from Purulia. A lot of films are made about urban people and about urban crises, many of which may not even be real, whereas rural people face quite a few problems which often remain unspoken about.   He further said the director did not want to be preachy,  but just wanted to present his perspective, leaving it open for everyone to take it as it is. The filmmaking process was quite interesting, he said,  –  it was shot outdoors in a short time span of just 13 days.  Always on the run, t+he whole team is running from location to location in a lorry which I learnt to drive within 30 days as a training for this movie. What I found interesting was that for this movie, I had to completely change myself from an urban guy to a lorry driver. As a debutant actor, I think that is what is most liberating”.

Agreeing with Amartya, Rajnandini said, “It was a great opportunity for debutants like us to work in this movie. It is very liberating to play someone else and be that person in such a convincing manner that people think that you have not played it but you were that person itself. We all went through lot of mental and emotional homework in playing that character.”

Amartya said the director has represented the culture of Purulia and Bengal’s fringe districts where different dialects of Bengali are used. Handicrafts and other local crafts are also used. Purulia is shown in this movie in such a picturesque way that no movie has shown before, he said.

Saha said that for the film, they visited a village in which all women work and draw paintings on the home walls using extremely vivid colours that are rarely used by urbanites. He said he loves the rural people approach to life – they are always positive, despite not having anything.

Rajnandini said that Purulia has never before been shot such picturesquely in a film. It got appreciated everywhere and people liked the way it has been shot, she said. She added that the film was received really well in IFFI and audience from different states and even foreigners liked the beautiful way in which it has been shot.

She added that the most beautiful aspect about the film is its subtlety; it does not want to preach about anything, though many have asked whether the decision to choose a male protagonist who is on our side was a conscious one. The director wants the movie to speak for itself.  The film employs emotions which are very subtle, but touch one deeply, said the actress.

Backgrounder

Uronchondi is a Bengali film which is a story of the dreams, desires and emotions of three women who belong to different age groups & social backgrounds.  The journey of three women offers them a sense of freedom until police starts chasing them.

The film also marks the debut of the director, Abhishek Saha. The lead roles of three women in the film are played by Sudipta Chakraborty, Chitra Sen, and Rajnandini Paul.