Interview : Rituparno Ghosh

	RITUPARNO GHOSH

Rituparno Ghosh’s new film SHOB CHARITRO KALPONIK (All Characters Imaginary), starring Bipasha Basu and Prosenjit, has been selected for the 30th Durban Film Festival 2009, in South Africa. The filmmaker in conversation with our correspondent.

Are you excited about your film SHOB CHARITRO KALPONIK (Afterword) being premiered at Durban Film Festival?
It’s true that this is the first time my film is being premiered at Durban Film Festival…this is the first Bengali language film to be premiered in Africa. SHOB CHARITRO KALPONIK will be screened in the Panorama Section of the

“International film fests are not new for me.”

festival, alongside films by directors such as Woody Allen, the Dardenne Brothers, Lars von Trier, Laurent Cantet, Steven Soderbergh, Takeshi Kitano and Michael Winterbottom. But international film fests are nothing new for me…all my films so far have been showcased in various film festivals abroad.

Why is that none of your cast, especially Bipasha and Prosenjit, are joining you at the premiere?
Generally when a regional film is premiered at an international film festival, it is the director who attends the show, unless there is an international star in the film. On second thoughts, this is the first screening of SHOB CHARITRO KALPONIK…the film will be shown at other prestigious festivals as well. Then we will divide the tours among ourselves.

	view SHOB CHARITRO KALPONIK (Bengali Film) movie stills

What are your expectations from this world premiere of your film on July 30?
This is a regional language film; so I am curious about the reaction of international audience…how they will respond, if they will be able to respond at all.

CHECK OUT: Rituparno’s Bipasha starrer at Durban Film Festival

Why do you think reacting to your film will be difficult?
This is a film that you need to feel, not just watch. This is a story of poet Indraneel (Prosenjit) and his wife Radhika (Bipasha). The wife gets to know her husband better after he dies…through his poetry. This is not a subject to fiddle with. It is a cerebral film, not a melodrama.

The film took over a year to release…
That’s because the producers Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd (RBEL), wanted to premiere it at an international film festival before releasing it in India.