Motivation behind Ahalya was to direct Soumitra Chatterjee: Sujoy Ghosh

What is this Large Short Films and how Ahalya has become a pioneering effort in the genre?

Royal Stag founded Large Short Films and I am fortunate to make the first short film within this format. Viewers can watch these films directly on the Large Short Films website or go to YouTube. The plan is to showcase independent films every week by people known and unknown that everyone can watch within short spans of time. Acclaimed and budding filmmakers have decided to come together and make these films. Even you can submit your script on the website.

What was the challenge that drew you to the short film format?

The first motivation – I will not call it a challenge – was to direct Soumitra Chatterjee in the lead in one film. The marketing and economics of a commercial film are different and it might not have been viable to have him as the lead character in a full-length feature film. So a short film was the answer. The second was the challenge of telling a complete story with a beginning, middle and end within 15 minutes and make it so interesting that the viewer does not click off before the film gets over. I still will make full-length features. But this has helped me hone my skills in confronting a different format. I shot the entire film over two-and-a-half days. I learnt that to a filmmaker, the footage should not matter. I am making a film per se, I can compress it, expand it, twist it the way I feel it fits into my conception.

In what way will this brief format and the alternative viewing change the dynamics of cinema in India?

One has to be practical. Gone are the days when films would run for 25 weeks or 50 weeks at a stretch and as youngsters, we would watch a film several times and sit down to discuss them with friends. Discussion keeps a film alive – the more one discusses a film, the more does its life stretch beyond limits. Today, people hardly have the time to discuss a two-hour feature film after having watched it. But a short film offers that space.

What about the economic advantages?

The economics is quite good. You cut down not only on production costs as the film is short but also on marketing and publicity costs which a feature film demands. The money invested comes back soon and everyone is happy. Not everyone can afford to make hundred crore rupee films. There are many who want to make films as creative artists. We still have to work out the logistics about how and how long it will take for the money to come back but we are not burdened with publicity and marketing costs that could be double the money invested in a big budget film. We are not competing with the big banners. We are opening out a new channel.

Ahalya spells out magic realism, the thriller element and the allusions to the story of Ahalya in Ramayana.

The story of Ahalya was just waiting to be written out for a film like this. The two epics, Ramayana and Mahabharatacontain hundreds of stories waiting to be tapped for film or drama or other kinds of performance. These stories are full of magic realism, entertainment and education. They are filled with teachings too that make them timeless and universal. I felt the story of Ahalya could be twisted and tweaked to fit into a contemporary landscape. What thrills me is that the film is sending back many who have seen it to read the Ramayana again! What can be better than trying to enlarge the horizons of one’s reading through a film?

Was it not difficult to direct a Dadasaheb Phalke winner like Soumitra Chatterjee?

I am his fan first and last. For me and for most of us, he is a living icon, an institution unto himself. I was in complete awe of him but as a director, I needed to get out of the fan-trap and create a distance from the star that Soumitra-da is. It is difficult. But it’s possible and I must say Soumitra-da made it easy. One can learn so much from him while working with him.

What made you decide on casting Radhika Apte and Tota Roychoudhury?

The script decides the casting for most directors and I am no exception. There’s no exact ‘science’ in casting. I wanted to take actors who are not stars so that their star aura did not impose on the characters they were to portray.  I look at the character and not the actor and I expect the same from my audience. Radhika has just the right dose of sensuality for Ahalya’s role. Tota is a great actor. I have seen his performances in Aborto and Chokher Bali.Both  are open to suggestions of the director. As director, I am also open to suggestions. I don’t want my actors to freeze their preconceived notions about the character they are to play.

Are you happy?

This very minute, who can be happier than I am? The short film is the future of cinema. It challenges you more than demands from you. It is cheaper to make and also to show. The film has had around a million hits or more within the first few days of its premiere on YouTube. What more can you ask?