Mumbai: In an exclusive interview with Actress and Producer Pallavi Joshi, where she opened up about the film ‘The Bengal Files’, a historical drama based on the Direct Action Day in 1946. Then, she shared about the research process, challenges faced during filming, and the inspiration behind telling this story. She also talked about working with Mithun Chakraborty, a veteran actor with a complex political background, and addressed the controversy surrounding the film's trailer launch in Kolkata. At last, she expressed her views on the importance of honest storytelling and her experiences working in the film industry.
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#PallaviJoshi #TheBengalFiles #DirectActionDay #MithunChakraborty #controversy #trailerlaunch #exclusiveinterview #VivekAgnihotri #Trending #BollywoodNews #BollywoodGossips #BollywoodUpdates #BollywoodNews #Bollywood #Bollywoodcelebrity #BollywoodHindiNews #IANS
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FunTranscript
00:00So hello ma'am, welcome to INES and congratulations for Bangor Piles that's about to release.
00:05I want to start off by asking that Vivek sir is known for making films that are backed by research.
00:11How did it all start for this film? What was the job?
00:13And what was the research process like?
00:15You know, everything going into one place, how was the process?
00:18So the research for this film started even before we started shooting for Kashmir Files.
00:23The thing is that we were supposed to start shooting for Kashmir Files in March 2020.
00:30But because of the first wave of COVID, where everything was stalled.
00:36We were about to go to Kashmir for five days later and then we got a notification from all the associations saying that the shootings are stalled.
00:46And after that, of course, through the lockdown, we were sitting at home doing nothing.
00:51So Vivek started with the research.
00:54And while Kashmir Files was going on, our team was still researching for this film.
01:03So it's been almost, we're in 2025, so five years of research.
01:08And this was always planned because when we started with the Tashkent Files, we had decided that we'll do a trilogy.
01:14Of course, we didn't know if we would be able to complete it successfully because a lot of filmmakers have started making trilogies but haven't really been able to finish them.
01:24But thank God that we are on our third one.
01:28And after the release of this, we would be able to say that we've completed a trilogy.
01:34And I want to understand the logistics of this film.
01:36What were the major challenges that you came across in terms of the logistics, putting it all together, in terms of permissions also?
01:44Because shooting in Bengal, telling a story which is based in Bengal, it's a troubled water, tricky water.
01:49Things could be really tricky.
01:50There could be political pressure.
01:51So the biggest hurdle that we faced was that we realized we couldn't shoot in Bengal.
01:59And if you're talking about Bengal Files, at least a portion of it has to be shot in the state.
02:05But then we realized that we will not be given permission.
02:09We were denied permissions.
02:10So we had to put up a set in Bombay.
02:15And most of this film has outdoor locations.
02:19So we had to put a huge amount of outdoor set also.
02:23We had to put roads and we had to put buildings.
02:25And so it was an art direction nightmare.
02:30And at the same time, we also knew that there were going to be several extensions in the VFX also.
02:36The production process would have searched.
02:37It did.
02:38And we had to bear it because there was no other way out.
02:42And unfortunately, another thing happened.
02:45We had signed Rajat Poddar as our production designer.
02:48And so in this very office, he had made a complete miniature of the set.
02:54And it was a huge miniature from that wall to this wall.
02:58And beautifully designed set.
03:01He showed us the clock tower of Noakhali.
03:04He showed us the writer's building.
03:05And we were very happy.
03:07We were making changes.
03:08Everything was done.
03:10And he had to go to London to shoot for, I think it was Housefull, some four or five, whichever has come now.
03:17And he suffered a massive cardiac arrest and he died.
03:23And for us, it was such a big jolt because we had started the construction of the set.
03:28And Rajat was gone.
03:30So we really didn't know what to do at that point.
03:33But then his team came forward, our associate production designer, Pradeep Banerjee, who was also the art director on the film.
03:43He came to us and he said that, please don't take another production designer because this was Rajat's dream project.
03:50Rajat came from Bengal.
03:51So he spoke Bengali very fluently.
03:55And this was going to be his hundredth film.
03:58And it was like a very pet project of his.
04:00So he said that Pradeep Da came to us and said that we would like to complete the project and we'll give it our best to make his vision come alive.
04:09So we said, fine.
04:10And then there was absolutely no need for us to hire anyone else.
04:14And the team did such a wonderful job.
04:17I mean, at no point do you realize that this is not an actual location.
04:23These are sets.
04:24The properties were done so beautifully.
04:27But yes, everything came with a cost.
04:30And also the film, which we could have probably started and finished sooner, we had to prolong it over a period of four months because as one set was done, it had to be taken down and dismantled and the other one had to be reacted.
04:46So we had to keep shooting for a period of four months.
04:49So, of course, the land that we had hired, you know, all the costs kept going up.
04:55So that was a very big problem for us.
05:01But then we decided to somehow tide over it and we did.
05:04And you said that, you know, the filming process had to be prolonged because of certain factors.
05:09Yes.
05:09Now, when there's a situation like this, how do you keep the passion running that I have to tell the story?
05:14What is it that fuels your passion to tell a larger story to serve to the masses?
05:18Well, as far as our passion is concerned, we were completely into it.
05:23I'm still only thinking about the film 24-7.
05:25But yes, I think it was a very big, you know, credit I will give to my actors and the technical team also, but the actors more.
05:37Because while the technical team was still involved, we were doing, you know, like mock lightings and the team was still going there trying to understand the logistics of the next set.
05:47So for them, their involvement was still there physically.
05:51But for an actor, when, you know, your job is over, you go back home and my scenes are done in Kolkata and then I have to shoot in Noakhali.
06:02Now the set is going to be dismantled and then re-erected.
06:05Then somebody's work will start and then my scenes are going to start it another day.
06:09So for them to keep that passion was incredible.
06:13And I think all of them, I can't, I can't just name one or two, all of them, you know, they kept their characters alive.
06:20They kept the, how do I say, the energy, you know, they kept that going and they were on the same page every time they came for the shoot.
06:32It never happened that because there was, you know, a gap of 10 days or 15 days, suddenly they have lost the character.
06:41And Vivek had to vote them and tell them, no, no, do it, it looks less.
06:45Never.
06:46So full marks to the actors for that.
06:49And you mentioned that, you know, for this film, you gave full marks to the actors.
06:53Now, India is fairly a young nation, 70, 75, 78 years of our independence, 79.
06:59In these 79, 80 odd years, we have seen a lot of political disturbances.
07:04The reflection is one of the darkest chapters of our country.
07:08When you make a film like this, the events that unfolded during that time,
07:13did at any point were very overwhelming for you as an artist while you were making this film?
07:18Because how did you, how did you navigate that path?
07:20Yeah, so what happens is that you, when the script is written, of course, you can envision the kind of scenes that would happen.
07:33But when you're actually shooting them, then it is a completely different story.
07:38Hearing that there were hundreds of people, thousands of people who were killed,
07:43but to actually show them in those many numbers was so overwhelming.
07:49And we had a lot of dummy bodies, but then there were a lot of live actors also,
07:54or all our extras, who were playing bodies.
07:58And then they had to be blackened.
08:01And then, you know, blood was like literally poured with buckets all over them.
08:05So while we were...
08:07Was it a red blood or like...
08:09No, no, of course fake blood.
08:11Prosthetic blood.
08:12But, I mean, we are still technically doing everything correctly.
08:18This wound is not looking, you know, real enough.
08:20And you apply yourself there.
08:23But once the shooting is done, when the day is done, when you come back home,
08:29and when you lie down in the bed, and then when you go back to realize what you have achieved through the day,
08:35all those images that come back, they haunt you because you realize that what we've just shot.
08:42And we were, you know, trying to be so creative with the dead bodies.
08:46You realize what you've just shot and that, oh, you've been so creative and thinking that,
08:51oh, this wound is looking like this.
08:53This has actually happened with people.
08:57And as many dead bodies have shown us,
08:58those many people actually died.
09:02So when these things hit you, they really hit you.
09:07And you can't sleep at night.
09:10So you then have to do a lot of other things.
09:14You have to unwind, get out of it.
09:17So yeah, these are...
09:18How did you get your system out of all these images that you were witnessing?
09:21Well, I had to try different things.
09:24I had to listen to some music, go out somewhere for a drive.
09:26And a lot of us had a lot of different things by which we managed to get the images out finally.
09:34But yeah, they stay with you for a long time.
09:37Similar thing had happened to us during Kashmir Files also when we were doing the research
09:41and we were interviewing so many people.
09:44Perfectly horrible stories that we got to hear.
09:48It does affect you a lot.
09:50But I think what is more important for both me and Vivek is that it's the larger picture.
09:59What we are trying to do here.
10:00We are trying to present a kind of reality which nobody knows about,
10:04which was very systematically hidden from us.
10:07And if we are going to uncover those truths,
10:10then yes, there is going to be a lot of discomfort for us.
10:14So we are ready for that.
10:17But of course, it takes its toll sometimes.
10:19So we are human beings after all.
10:22And the film also has Mithun sir.
10:24Now he is a very interesting and fascinating person.
10:27I will explain why.
10:29As a politician, he has covered the full spectrum.
10:31He was earlier a leftist, then he went to TMC.
10:34Now he is with BJP.
10:36He comes with that much of experience.
10:38Also, I think he is the only actor who got a national award in his debut film.
10:42Correct.
10:42Which I think Mr. Bachchan has also not been able to do.
10:45When someone of his caliber, his caliber comes on board as an artist, as a senior artist,
10:52what is it like working with him, drawing from his experience as a school actor?
10:56See, I think you explained it very beautifully.
10:59Mithun Chakravarti has always been an enigma to me.
11:02Because I see three different personalities in one person.
11:07There is a disco dancer.
11:09Okay.
11:10Then there is an actor who has been performing roles like Ramakrishna Paramahans.
11:18And then there was a beautiful film I had seen of his called Titli, which was directed by Aparna Sen.
11:24He was amazing in that film.
11:27So for somebody to be a star and not really care about acting so much in those films,
11:36just concentrate more on his dance and everything.
11:39And then do some films which he has done purely for money.
11:45And yet, there is also that actor who won the national award for Mrigya.
11:50And then he is a three-time national award winner.
11:53For somebody who has, you know, he has gone the full spectrum.
11:58There is so much to learn from him.
12:00His entire demeanor is that of a star.
12:04So when he sits down and starts talking, it's Mithun Chakravarti, the star who's sitting there in front of you.
12:11When he opens his mouth, it is a very well-read person who speaks to you.
12:17And then when he starts telling you a few things about what you should be doing in this film,
12:22is that cinema-savvy person inside him who understands cinema so well.
12:28He is giving you those suggestions.
12:30So, I mean, if you just go by the looks, there's so much more to him, you know.
12:37And he's always, he surprises me with his deep understanding of cinema.
12:44Politics, of course, I've never really had a chance to discuss with him.
12:48I'm not really very interested in that aspect.
12:50But I'm sure he's had conversations with Vivek.
12:53I've overheard some of them.
12:55And I'm just blown away by that man, you know.
12:58And to have him as your co-actor in the same frame, it sometimes feels surreal.
13:06Absolutely.
13:07And earlier, during the trailer launch of the film in Kolkata, we saw, you know, particular people and cops came in there.
13:14Who would you call responsible for all of this?
13:19What actually happened in this case during the trailer launch?
13:21Well, it was very clearly done by the ruling party.
13:24And we are making no bones about it.
13:26We knew that we'll get some kind of resistance.
13:29But we didn't know it will be like this, that we won't be able to show our trailer at all.
13:32It is very significant for us to choose Kolkata to release our trailer on the 16th of August, which was the anniversary of Direct Action Day.
13:42And for me personally, maybe I'm saying it because I don't understand politics to that level.
13:51But if something has happened in the past, and if there are some people who are trying to bring that story forward, I think as somebody in the government, they should be helping us in uncovering these stories.
14:06They should be giving us full support.
14:08I don't know what the problem was here.
14:12I mean, obviously know what the problem was.
14:14But I didn't know that we won't show the trailer.
14:18Which was a very sad thing because everybody felt a little bad.
14:26It's your work at the end of the day.
14:27I mean, you're doing this interview and if somebody just cuts it off and says, no, you can't.
14:33You probably come prepared with all your questions.
14:36And then somebody just says, get the hell out of here.
14:40It does hurt you a bit.
14:41But then, it's gone.
14:43It's in the past.
14:45There's a new day today.
14:46And for my last question, it has a long way.
14:49As I mentioned, it's a fairly young country.
14:5180 years of our independence.
14:52Closer to 80 years.
14:55This country is something that should stay forever in the hearts of people.
15:01And we should collectively work towards the country.
15:03Now, you mentioned that when an artist goes on to make something or create something which could upset the establishment.
15:11Because it goes against their interest.
15:13Interest of the corporate lobby, the political lobby of a certain kind.
15:17What would be your message to people who are chasing the truth to fight the power or to upset the establishment, so to say?
15:27What would be your message to that?
15:28See, I think as a responsible artist, as a responsible filmmaker, I have always kept myself a little anti-establishment.
15:38And it is very important to do that because only then can you truly show a mirror to the society.
15:45So, unfortunately, it's a little too difficult in our country right now to bring the truth forward.
15:55Because of political reasons, a lot of truth has been hidden away from us.
16:01Now, if somebody wants to uncover that truth, and if somebody wants to walk down the same path as us, then there will be hurdles.
16:12And I hope the hurdles get smaller by the day because we've already walked that path.
16:18I just hope they don't get bigger for people to follow.
16:21But yes, I would still like to call out to some brave young filmmakers, there should be some amount of discomfort in what you show to the people.
16:38Because art should make people uncomfortable.
16:41You know, art is not something where you feel that, ah, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
16:44Okay, you know, art, art should provoke you, it should make you think, it should, it should make you, give you a sleepless night, probably.
16:53That is my definition of art.
16:55And whoever is going to walk down this path, it's, it's not, it's not a very easy path.
17:01But yes, it has to be walked on.
17:04And I'm tempted to ask one last question.
17:05You mentioned that, you know, there's an anti-establishment person there in you.
17:08And it will stay for long, no matter who's in power.
17:11What would be your message to the media, the fourth pillar of democracy?
17:14To keep the anti-establishment sentiment in their own play.
17:20We see a lot of political alliances now.
17:24If I may be open about this, media should be a little more vocal.
17:36And we have seen, we had seen it in the past.
17:41We had some very good journalists.
17:43I can actually, you know, every time I think about a journalist, there are certain images which come in front of me.
17:50When I was younger, there were these people who were, you know, stalwarts of the media.
17:56We don't have anyone right now.
17:58You know, there is nobody that my children can really look up to and think that, oh, this is a guy, you know, who chases the truth.
18:05This is a guy who's making people, asking uncomfortable questions to the establishment.
18:10We don't have those people in the media anymore.
18:12And I hope we get, you know, some young blood who's raring to go and who reminds us of the stalwarts of media once again and walks down that path.
18:24When you work with Vivek, sir, you know, he's so passionate, maybe so consumed with his craft, you know, what he wants to tell to the audience.
18:33Working with him as a co-producer and working with him as a life partner, what are the differences between these?
18:38Actually, they have kind of merged now because Vivek and me, we actually started working together even before we got married.
18:46Vivek used to do ad films then and I've done some modeling for him.
18:49Then we've done television together.
18:51So our working relationship has been established.
18:57And because, you know, we live in the same house and we work in the same office and we go to the same sets, there is a lot of overlap in our lives.
19:05Yeah, the only flip side to it is that the work never stops because when we are home, we keep talking about work.
19:13So there is no downtime for us, which sometimes, you know, we need to put our foot down and say we are not going to talk shop anymore.
19:21So that is the only flip side.
19:22But otherwise, I think it's great to have families working together.
19:27So with that, we have reached the end of this conversation.
19:29If there's anything that I may have missed asking or something that we would have to talk about.
19:33So please, I think we've more or less covered everything.
19:37Okay, so on that note, thank you so much.
19:38Thank you, thank you very much.
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