Kaushik Ganguly on Ardhangini: I have no 'ex' because my female friends used to 'friend-zone' me | Exclusive

Kaushik Ganguly is all set with his film Ardhangini which features Jaya Ahsan, Kaushik Sen, and Churni Ganguly. The film that delves into a relationship drama will hit the theatre on June 2. In a chat with OTTplay, Kaushik talked about the film, his college days, and his muses. Read on…    

Talking about the inception of Ardhangini, Kaushik Ganguly said, “After 50, I realised people often think about death. While 50 is said to be the midway of life, it is actually a little more than a midway. This is the time when people often think about what happens when they fall ill. Fear tends to develop on what happens next. I went through this also and Ardhangini incepted from that zone. In the film, the character of Kaushik Sen is in a coma. His current wife is aware of his present and future. However, it is his ex-wife who is aware of the past. These are two halves and hence, Ardhangini. This is not a love triangle. Kaushik Sen’s current wife is not the reason for his divorce. There are complex feelings of responsibility and possessiveness, and there are social conventions to deal with. The film brings the past and the present relationship together," he said.

The trailer showcases powerful dialogue exchanges between Churni Ganguly and Jaya Ahsan. Kaushik said the dialogues were incepted while writing the film. “I pen the screenplay after I finalise the cast. In my imagination, I let the characters loose. In my mind, the wrestle out the encounter and I write the dialogues. There are feelings of uneasiness. Some character deals with it with emotion, some with sharpness, and some with tears. I can assure you that the dialogues in my films are not at all gallery shows. They are real for my characters. 

In Ardhangini, a man’s current wife meets his former wife. How will it affect Kaushik if his ex-girlfriends meet Churni? “Oh, my life has been very boring. I became a boring person when I was 37. I had a lot of friends at Jadavpur University and I also liked a few of the girls. However, that has never been reciprocated. All my girlfriends bro-zoned or friend-zoned me. I received a lot of love but those were brotherly love. I was the Deven Verma in my university days. There is a reason behind it. There were other attractive and accomplished men in the university. Even I used to be awed by them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kaushik and Churni met at the university and fell in love. “I was head over heels in love with her and all our friends dissuaded me. It was evidently a miscast – I was an SFI cadre and she was from Kurseong’s Dow Hill School. We were poles apart. There was a chance that I could have been like Ganesh Mondol of Bishorjan. I could have started living right next to her house if Churni refused me. I think that’s why she accepted my proposal,” quipped Kaushik. 

The director also talked about his association with Jaya Ahsan. Kaushik and Jaya first worked together in Bishorjan. The director also played a crucial character in the film. Later, they united again in Bijoya – a sequel to Bishorjan. Ardhangini is the third occasion when the director and the actress worked together. “I fall in love with the actor and the actress I work with. That way, Jaya has been my muse in Bishorjan and Bijoya. In Ardhangini, Churni and Jaya both are my muses. This happens with Ritwick also. When I work with him, I fall in love with him. Once the shooting gets over, that goes. And then we don’t talk to each other for years,” he said.