PremiumExclusive! Alaap actress Mimi Chakraborty: In the Bengali film industry, a lot depends on who you are having your drinks with in the evening
In an interview with OTTplay, Mimi opened up about the reasons behind the fading numbers of commercial films and how the Bengali industry functions under the influence of interpersonal relationships.
Last Updated: 07.37 PM, Apr 20, 2024
It was a long day for actress Mimi Chakraborty, who was constantly interacting with the media while promoting her upcoming film, Alaap. Directed by Premendu Bikash Chaki, the actress pairs up with Abir Chatterjee in the film. Billed as a love story, Alaap also stars Swastika Dutta. In a no-holds-barred interview with OTTplay, Mimi opened up about the reasons behind the fading numbers of commercial films and how the Bengali industry functions under the influence of interpersonal relationships. Read on…
Tell us what made you say yes to Alaap...
I was associated with the film for a long time. I think this was the first time a director was adamant about the heroine. Usually, it is the other way around; the hero gets decided first and then the heroine is selected based on numerous other factors. Thanks to Chakida (the director), I have been associated with the film since the beginning. Even when situations changed, I was there. When Abirda (Abir Chatterjee) came on board, we discussed the film. Many things have changed since then.
After watching the trailer, many people were aghast that the hero and the heroine didn’t meet and fall in love. Is that even possible, they asked. I think that’s the charm of the film. Also, there is something called a cinematic licence. You watch a film where a hero jumps off a 10-storey building to save the heroine and viewers buy that idea.
After Raktabeej, the chemistry between Abir and you was hugely praised. What goes behind making a hit pair?
Nothing. When you don’t think about it, it becomes a hit pair. After Bojhena Shey Bojhena, Bittu (Soham Chakraborty) and my pair became a hit. We did quite a few films together. Some worked well, like Golpo Holeo Shotti, but finally, it reached a saturation point. Bangali Babu did not work. People liked our pair and we worked together on a few films. We just have no idea how one pair works and gets a lot of love from the audience. There is a kind of X-factor that works. There is no formula to make so many people like your pair so much.
After a pretty long break, you are back in a commercial film with Shakib Khan in Toofan. How does it feel?
I have never worked in Bangladesh before. I just did a music video. Shakib is a superstar in Bangladesh. His recent release is also a blockbuster. When I was approached by SVF, the production house from where I started my journey, I was like, 'Why not?' There are some lovely peppy songs and dance numbers. I am really looking forward to shooting those. I am excited to get all decked up and dance once more on the screen. I missed that part. There was a time when we used to shoot a promotional song on a grand scale.
Why do you think that the number of mainstream commercial films has gone down in the Bengali film industry?
When we used to work in commercial films a few years ago, music used to be a very important part of a film. We probably used to work on five films and three of those films used to be superhits. Music used to be a hit for each of those films. I don’t do a lot of stage shows now. However, wherever I still go, I see the craze for those songs. They are not bothered about my OTT work. The songs from those commercial films are still very popular.
They have millions of views and that is because those songs are thoroughly enjoyed by our audience. So, there was a time when makers used to spend that much money on those songs and dance sequences. If you are not spending that much money, what are you presenting to your audience? Some people would go to the theatre to watch a drawing-room drama and be happy about it.
However, there is a different section of the audience that is dedicated to mainstream commercial cinema. They love to dance, sing, cry, and whistle in a theatre. Bojhena Shey Bojhena was an outright commercial cinema and people went crazy about it. One has to think of a good story without remakes and spend the money that is needed. Only then, I think people will get back to the theatres.
Also, our Bengali media constantly criticised mainstream commercial cinema. It was said that these films are rip-offs, remakes, and whatnot! Now that there is no commercial cinema, media people are still at it!
What are the challenges you see in the Bengali industry in terms of making a good mainstream commercial film?
There is a group in this industry that decidedly writes good things about certain people and slams the others. This group contains different people from different walks of life. In Bollywood, nepotism and nexus are out and open. Karan Johar says that if he wants to launch a starkid, he will and that cannot be anybody else’s business. Here, nothing is open. People go behind others' backs and criticise them. They say, "Don't take this lot in your film and take that lot instead." Such conversations take place secretively in our industry.
And there is a new trend in the Bengali industry. People flood social media with the success of a film that actually did pretty badly at the box office. We get to know that this is a failed film but a large number of people are buying into such claims. In our industry, a lot of things can happen over one-to-one equations. If I am sitting with you one evening over a few drinks, a lot of good reviews can come out. A lot of people do it.