Kolkata: 'Sesher Kobita', a film based on Rabindranath Tagore's eponymous novel, is not a modern interpretation of the work, says director Suman Mukhopadhyay.
"I have sought to recreate the feel of the early 20th century as far as set-props, vehicles and costumes are concerned," Suman told PTI here.
The narrative structure also retained the style of dialogue spoken in that era, the director said.
"You can revisit the novel with the eye of present-day value, you can re-assess the relations and show it in a new perspective, but you cannot tinker with the milieu of a classic," he said.
The director said while shooting in Shillong, the backdrop of the novel, they discovered that time had not moved there since 1930s.
Asked how he brought alive the lyricism of the signature work of Tagore, Suman pointed out that the novel, penned at the fag end of his literary career, was very different from his other works in that it contained an eclectic mix of poetry and prose.
"However, beyond the lines you can sense how the entire tale has a degree of hard reality and how Tagore looked at the way we cherish our memories," he said.
The film was world-premiered in the Dubai International Film Festival held earlier this month.
The two protagonists of the film Amit Roy and Labonoyo were played by Rahul Bose and Konkona Sen-Sharma respectively.
About Rahul, Konkona said, "It's nice to be back working with Rahul again after 'Mr and Mrs Iyer'. He is a family friend and a wonderful, brilliant co-actor I have worked with."
Suman had earlier made critically-appreciated movies like 'Raja Lear', based on Shakespeare's classic 'King Lear', and another Tagore classic 'Chaturanga'.
'Chaturanga', made in 2008, was screened in 36 national and international festivals. Another film 'Herbert' had won the national film award in 2006.
Comments
0 comment