Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; October 12, 2019)

Those familiar with director Sujoy Ghosh’s work are mostly in awe of his film’s setting. Kahaani was gorgeously shot in Kolkata and Badla was set in Scotland.

Talk about the way he used the backdrop of Kolkata so aesthetically for Kahaani, and the director explains that he prefers shooting in places that he is familiar with. “I missed shooting in Kolkata during Badla, but that film demanded a certain setting and Scotland was perfect. I haven’t travelled much in life. Within India, I am very familiar with Kolkata and Mumbai, outside of that, I have travelled around the UK. If I have to set a film outside India, I will only do it at a place that I know well, hence we chose Scotland for Badla. Also, my stories decide the setting. For instance, the characters in Badla are independent people, who do their chores like cleaning, cooking and all that on their own. I needed an environment which supported that. In India, most of us don’t do all that, so a location outside our country worked for it. The story leads the way, even when it comes to picking the location to shoot at.”