Showing posts with label Dhritiman Chatterjee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dhritiman Chatterjee. Show all posts
Riya Sen to play Sheena Bora in Bengali film
7:50 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (September 16, 2015)
News from Kolkata has it
that Riya Sen will play a character inspired by Sheena Bora in a Bengali
film based on her murder that already has Rituparna Sengupta as the
Indrani Mukerjea figure. Director Agnidev Chatterjee confirms that when
he decided to make a film inspired by the Sheena Bora murder case, Riya
was his first choice for the role of Sheena.
Riya, who was travelling to London and then Washington when we got in touch, said, “Agnidev is a sensible filmmaker. I'm sure a topic such as this will make for great viewing material. Sheena's character comes across as grey, and it will be a challenge for me. The film is special as I'll be working with Rituparna. My dad had told me that if ever there was a movie on the case, I should play Sheena. So, it's like a dream and my parents are thrilled to bits.“
Agnidev added, “We're considering Dhritiman Chatterjee for the character inspired by Peter Mukerjea and Rajesh Sharma for the driver's role. While Shataf Figar will be playing the role based on Sanjeev Khanna, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty will slip into the top police officer's shoes. Others we're looking at for supporting roles include Biswajit Chakraborty, Sreela Majumdar, Biplab Chatterjee, Tota Roy Choudhury and Kaushik Sen.“ Both Tota and Kaushik confirmed that they had been approached but were yet to sign up.
The film, which will go on the floors on September 27, will be shot in Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati.
Riya, who was travelling to London and then Washington when we got in touch, said, “Agnidev is a sensible filmmaker. I'm sure a topic such as this will make for great viewing material. Sheena's character comes across as grey, and it will be a challenge for me. The film is special as I'll be working with Rituparna. My dad had told me that if ever there was a movie on the case, I should play Sheena. So, it's like a dream and my parents are thrilled to bits.“
Agnidev added, “We're considering Dhritiman Chatterjee for the character inspired by Peter Mukerjea and Rajesh Sharma for the driver's role. While Shataf Figar will be playing the role based on Sanjeev Khanna, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty will slip into the top police officer's shoes. Others we're looking at for supporting roles include Biswajit Chakraborty, Sreela Majumdar, Biplab Chatterjee, Tota Roy Choudhury and Kaushik Sen.“ Both Tota and Kaushik confirmed that they had been approached but were yet to sign up.
The film, which will go on the floors on September 27, will be shot in Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati.
36 Chowringhee Lane was actually shot during Xmas time in Kolkata
8:34 AM
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 31, 2013)
Christmas cheer and New Year revelry strangely brings back heartwrenching memories of Miss Violet Stoneham’s desperate attempts to become a part of the celebrations in 36 Chowringhee Lane. Jennifer Kendal’s class act in Aparna Sen’s directorial debut is one of the highpoints to be toasted in the centenary year of Indian cinema.
Kendal played an Anglo-Indian school teacher in the film whose lonely existence is enlivened by the presence of a young couple who she runs into while returning from church on Christmas. Nandita Roy, a former student, and Samaresh, her author-boyfriend, use Miss Stoneham’s empty apartment when she’s reading Shakespeare in school, to get some desperately needed privacy and keep her company when she returns home.
The arrangement works wonderfully for the trio till Nandita and Samaresh get married. Now they have their apartment and no longer need the elderly spinster's house or company. A year later, when she invites herself over for Christmas, they put her off saying they’re out of town. Miss Stoneham still comes over, to drop off the cake she has baked for them, to see them partying with a bunch of friends their age. She walks away with a broken heart and drooping shoulders, to recite King Lear to a stray dog.
Remembering that party at the end of the film, Dhritiman Chatterjee who played Samaresh informs that it was for real. “It was Christmas time in Kolkata and we were shooting at a friend’s place. Since it was Aparna’s first film, many of her friends were involved and we’d invited all of them over to fill in as the guests. Soon there was absolute chaos as we started to enjoy ourselves, may be a bit too much. Fortunately, we managed to get the portions canned to Aparna’s satisfaction. She’d done her homework well and knew what she wanted,” he laughs.
He has fond memories of Jennifer who was like a mother figure to many of them on the sets and held the unit together. “She and Shashi Kapoor, who produced the film, were staying at a five-star hotel and the film must have reminded them of their Shakespearewallah days,” Dhritiman reminisces.
He admits Miss Stoneham was a familiar figure to him because he had teachers like her at St. Xavier’s School. “Anglo-Indians, stern and loving at the same time,” he says.
He particularly remembers Miss Stoneham’s cat in the film. “It was a professional cat,” he chuckles. “It had flown down from Mumbai with its trainer and lorded over us.”
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