Jhilli
'Jhilli' characters have subtle shades of my own experiences: Debutant director Ishaan Ghose
Kolkata/IBNS: Debutant director Ishaan Ghose has touched upon the lives of marginalised people living in Kolkata's largest city dump, Dhapa, through his upcoming Bengali film Jhilli.
Ishaan, the son of eminent filmmaker-actor Goutam Ghose, portrayed in the film human endurance, their suffering and celebration of life.
Spectacular and grotesque footage of people and animals scrounging a living in the middle of Dhapa as the world outside goes through a sea-change in the name of development.
In a recent press conference, Ishaan narrated how he has subtly included his own experiences in the characterisation of the film.
"I have tried to include my own experiences in the inner struggles of the characters in the film.
"Maybe not directly, but my characters have undergone psychological experiences or trauma," Ishaan told India Blooms.
Cast of Jhilli along with Ishaan Ghose and Goutam Ghose (extreme L) | Image Credit: Avishek Mitra/IBNS
Set in the Dhapa dumping ground along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Kolkata, Jhilli's trailer shows how lead characters Bokul (played by Aranya Gupta), Ganesh (Bitan Biswas), Guddu (Sayandeep Guha) manage a living in the midst of the dump which they fear of getting converted into big structures.
The 90-odd-minute film was mostly shot in Dhapa and central Kolkata in 30 days from 2017-2019.
On his father Goutam Ghose's impact on his style of filmmaking, Ishaan said, "I have worked with my father for a long time as an assistant. I have gained a huge experience of varied works in association with my father for his documentaries."
Ishaan Ghose (L) and Goutam Ghose (R) | Image Credit: Avishek Mitra/IBNS
Jhilli garnered good reviews after it was screened at the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival in 2022.
The film has also been selected for multiple international film festivals including Torino International Film Festival and Mammoth Lakes Film Festival.
"More than film festivals abroad, I was interested in seeing the reactions from the local audience," says Ishaan and adds, "The audience's reactions from all screenings were beyond our expectations."
Jhilli is all set to be released in cinema halls on Nov 11.
(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)
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