It is a daunting task for a Bengali film-maker to take on something that has been done before by none other than Satyajit Ray. And that is exactly the task Subhrajit Mitra has taken up. His upcoming film Avijatrik is based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel Aparajito, a sequel to his famous work Pather Panchali. Satyajit Ray had adapted both novels for his celebrated Apu trilogy. What prompted Subhrajit Mitra to choose this as the topic for his film? The director says, “My film is about Aparajito. Almost one-third of the novel has not been filmed by Satyajit Ray. And those pages intrigued me. That is at the core of my film.”
Subhrajit Mitra is aware that comparisons with the Ray classics are inevitable. But he says, “I believe if there is honesty in a creation, the audience will come to watch it. We have made this film with utmost honesty.” The director adds, “If we carried the baggage of comparison, we wouldn’t have been able to work. It was there at the back of our minds, but we didn’t let it influence anything. Avijatrik is my interpretation of Aparajito.”
Arjun Chakraborty steps into the giant shoes of Soumitra Chatterjee, whose rendition of Apu is still fresh in the Bengali consciousness. Talking about his lead actor, Subhrajit says, “Arjun was a darling to work with. He had given three whole months exclusively to us. He had grown a beard and really got into the skin of Apu. Arjun is a method actor, one of the finest of our times.”
Recently, Avijatrik has made headlines by roping in Anoushka Shankar to play the title track of the film. Not only is this the first time the sitar artiste is working in a Bengali film, but it is her first Indian film as well. Subhrajit says, “We had decided in the planning phase itself that we will approach Anoushka. Her father Ravi Shankar had played that immortal tune of Pather Panchali. So it would be a continuation of the Master’s trilogy. It would form a connection. Anoushka has played her own interpretation of the title track.”
Image Source:-Youtube/gaurangfilms
Image Source:-Youtube/gaurangfilms