How does a director, who is in the midst of shooting his movie, double up as a producer? It’s tricky, but worthwhile, says Shoojit Sircar. The Umesh Chronicles, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Babil Khan and Kriti Panth, is set to screen at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne on August 22. For Sircar, Pooja Kaul’s directorial venture is a “special film”.

“We shot it with Jakob Ihre [Chernobyl cinematographer] whom I’ve known since he shot Yahaan [2005]. Producing is tricky for me. So, I let my partner Ronnie Lahiri do the heavy lifting, and I looked after the creative part. In this film, the nostalgia of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s has come through beautifully, as has that era’s tranquility of life. It’s about a girl growing up. That’s a beautiful experience to bring to the screen,” he smiles.

The Umesh Chronicles marks Sircar’s first collaboration with Khan. As one of Irrfan’s closest friends, the filmmaker is naturally overprotective of the late actor’s son.

“I was always worried about Babil. I was very close to Irrfan, and for Babil, I think like a parent. I feel responsible for him. He and his mother Sutapa [Sikdar] drop in at my office the way Irrfan used to. We have chai and jhalmuri, and talk of movies. Babil will have to take his movies one by one. It’s a lot of pressure for him, and it’s important to keep his sanity when he is making choices. That talent he has and the star he hopes to become must be balanced. It’s his career, not Irrfan’s. He should never forget why he is doing what he is doing; he shouldn’t get lost in the glitz and glamour.”

It helps that Khan stars alongside Bachchan in the movie. The megastar is a constant fixture in Sircar’s films, be it the unreleased Shoebite or Piku (2015) or Gulabo Sitabo (2020). How does he rope in Bachchan so frequently?

“It’s always the script. That’s my biggest learning after years of working with him. If he connects with the story, you’ve won him over. He has been our support system. I was noticed because he agreed to do my films. He taught me that the written word is sacrosanct.”

Amitabh Bachchan was spotted shooting at the City Station in old Lucknow for Shoojit Sircar’s The Umesh Chronicles. The film, directed by Sweden-based Pooja Kaul, has Bachchan senior playing a taxi driver in the film.

The scene shot on Thursday had Bachchan driving a taxi at the station. He was spotted interacting with a senior railways official in between the shoot. This is Amitabh and Shoojit’s fifth film collaboration after Pink, Piku, Gulabo Sitabo and the unreleased Shoebite.

Reportedly, Bachchan plays a cameo in the film which is about a young woman’s quest to find the ‘soul of her nation and how her encounters shape a person’ as was quoted by about the film.

Bachchan began shooting for the film in Lucknow a day after Holi.