Indraadip Dasgupta on Bismillah: Like shehnai, we are losing important aspects of arts from our daily life, and we are failing to understand this

Subhashree Ganguly, Riddhi Sen and Surangana Bandyopadhyay-starrer Bismillah are one of the films that got stuck in the wrath of the pandemic. Musician-turned-director Indraadip Dasgupta started working on the film in mid-2019 and shot it in January and February. However, the pandemic postponed the release plan and finally, the multi-starrer musical is all set to hit the theatre during Janmasthami. 

In an interview with Anandabazar, Indraadip said, “To me, love is god. I am a man who lives in a world of words. Hence, the words are very lively to me. From this viewpoint the depth of the word ‘Bismillah’ is vast. Also, there is an homage to the legendary shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan. Hence, the name.”

Also read: Exclusive! Indraadip Dasgupta on Bismillah: Subhashree Ganguly is the next big thing in Tollywood 

Talking about shehnai, he said that it is one of the most endangered art forms and not many people are bothered about it. “We are losing important aspects of art and culture from our daily life for the sake of modernity, and we are failing to understand this. Shehnai is one of these lost arts. It is played very rarely nowadays. I wanted to work on such instruments for a long time. To me, these are symbols of love. Shehnai is played at weddings, as well as, in one’s last rites. Actually, shehnai plays the tune of farewell. To spread these feelings among others, I have chosen such a subject.”

The director further added that the audience will find no difference when they observe the four themes – growing up, identity crisis, love and uncertainty. “Still I would say that this is not a biopic of the maestro. When a boy from an ordinary family becomes an artist, his story becomes popular,” said Indraadip.  

The teaser of the film was released on July 1. Produced by Kaleidoscope, the film will be released on August 19.