Bedabrata Pain Takes You To Chittagong | Golden Podium

TheReelMag team got an opportunity to talk to Bedabrata Pain whose story is not only motivating, it’s also very soul stirring. His movie – Chittagong has started getting appreciation. Here we go.

 

Q1: Hi Bedabrata. First of all, many congratulations for appreciation you are getting for your movie 'Chittagong'. How are you feeling now? Satisfied, elated, restless?

 

BP: Chittagong has been somewhat of an epic journey. Against all odds and personal tragedies – some of which will always remain behind the curtains – I finished this film. Chittagong is dedicated to my son – who was the biggest supporter of the film. And I have given better than my best … so I have that satisfaction. The rest, who knows!

 

When I began the film, I didn’t know if I could make a film. Now I know that I can. And I know that my instincts are right – whenever I have trusted them, I have got good results. That’s my take-away. I am not trying to think who will like my work or in what form my work will be appreciated. That’s not in my hand – only the effort is!

 

Q2: Your story... IIT-Kgp, University of Columbia, NASA and then a movie about a forgotten revolutionary. Reminds me of SRK in Swades, incidentally made by a very talented Ashutosh. When did you took the decision to quit the NASA and why? Isn't science your call?

 

BP: Ha ha ha … art imitates life or something like that? One of the worst things about modern life is that you are almost forced to be one-dimensional robotic person – feeling little, and thinking even less.

 

But I guess I grew up at a time when being multi-dimensional or embracing life to the fullest or having a social consciousness were considered very precious. It is something I have that ingrained in me – a notion that you might find in Nazrul’s Bidrohi. I think, as human beings, we are capable of processing a plethora of information and take any number of initiatives. I think I can contribute equally to the field of arts as well as to science. Perhaps this whole journey was an experiment to break these conventional constraints of unidimensionality.

 

Have I succeeded? I don’t know. But I have tried and I will remain just as committed to science as to art. Both require tremendous fidelity to real life and whole lot of creativity. Let’s see how far I can go …

 

Q3: Why you chose such an offbeat topic? What was your inspiration behind Chittagong?

 

BP: Actually Chittagong is not an offbeat film. When I started it felt like that there is a stasis in the world. And today – you see simmering discontent everywhere in the world – from the Americas to the Africa. The way my film ends, it makes it so relevant for the world today. Indeed that’s the inspiration. I wanted to tell a story of victory – but a victory not by a big boss or a super-hero – a victory that is won by the ordinary people – people like you and me. My film underscores the point that at historic moments, it is the ordinary people who can and do prevail. And perhaps today we are reaching such a historic moment.

 

Q4: Manoj Bajpai is a very talented actor. Was he your first pick for role of Masterji?

 

BP: Manoj is one of the best actors I know. Masterda’s role is a very difficult one. Because he’s a different kind of a hero. He’s not a chest-beating, bicep-flexing hero. Masterda led from behind. He was a visionary man. He was an inspiring man. To play such a person, a very versatile actor was needed. It is easier to play a cynic, but to play a visionary, it requires an actor par excellence. And that was Manoj. He had done an absolutely fabulous job of playing Masterda with sensitivity and restraint.

 

Q5: There was a little controversy over release of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey and your movie. Some people hinted at some arm-twisting. Your thoughts...

 

BP: Let’s not drag the past anymore. What matters is the present. Today Chittagong stands on its own. And it should be viewed as an independent film – not in association or comparison with anything else.

 

Most importantly, Indian film market has changed a lot in recent times. There is a significant rise of non-traditional Bollywood films – which above all, are good films. Why, only this year, we have had successful films such as Kahaani, Paan Singh Tomar, Gangs of Wasseypur, Shanghai and others! I strongly believe that Chittagong is part of this new wave. I am extremely hopeful about Chittagong, but then you know as they say – it’s after all luck by chance.

 

Q6: What will you like to say to people who want to submit their resignations and pursue their hobbies?

 

BP: I don’t know what I tell somebody who’s only pursuing his or her hobbies. Because, by definition, a hobby is recreational.

 

I wasn’t pursuing my hobby. I was going for the long haul. So, if anyone is serious about pursuing something, my only advice is to go headlong for it. No regrets, no leaving a backdoor open. For me to have tried to make a film on my own towards the end of a successful and very different career was a tremendous leap of faith – it’s like skydiving without knowing if everything will work out. But I don’t think there is any other option. You have to go out on a limb.

 

TheReelMag team wishes the entire team of Chittagong all the success. Bedabrata has endured a lot for this moment. We know somewhere Ishan must be very proud.