IFFK 2022: In his films, relationships rule

Atanu Ghosh recalls asking Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr about filming in an age of disruptions. How do we make sense of the changing images, the filmmaker asked his senior. The veteran replied: It is on you. You have to focus on what fits. Such a focus brings positivity in the changing frames of life that filmmakers try to make meaning from, Mr. Ghosh feels. His works so far, from the clutch of documentaries and tele-films he made in the 1990s to the national award-winning Mayurakshi in 2017 and even the latest Shesh Pata, vouch for this focus. Shesh Pata was premiered at the IFFK this year in the Indian Cinema Now section.

Exploring psyche

A lot has changed since the time he finished his masters in journalism and a film appreciation course from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and was attracted to filmmaking, he says. Yet, for him, the medium remains a way to explore the human psyche. From Angshumaner Chobi (2009) to Mayurakshi, to Shesh Pata, where four characters representing the Bengali middle class play out intricacies of their mind space, most of Ghosh’s movies have relationships as central characters. Through them, he views the changing world, and through the techniques of filmmaking, he tries to change the way he looks at the world.

Still from Shesh Pata, Atanu Ghosh’s movie that was premiered at the IFFK

A sense of detachment is evident in his portrayal of emotions, as he seems not much intrigued by changing times. “There was a time when films were steered around by just two people — the director and the producer. Now, there is a team in action helping smaller projects get to the screens they deserve. To top it, there are platforms where you can show your films directly to the people. But even as such changes happen, there is confusion among people caught between a world of tomorrow and that of the past.” Mr. Ghosh says he uses cinema to capture this knotty scenario and sees it all through a future of emerging clarity. 

Making lucid the interplay of emotions can be done best through a crisp script. Himself a scriptwriter, he feels the craft has to be taken with more seriousness. “Script writing has to rely on both spontaneous and organic creative impulses and structured cinematic techniques.” Coming from a culture where literature has closely existed with cinema, Mr. Ghosh feels the collaboration could be healthier if one agrees that a reader or a viewer interprets things based on his or her own understanding. This freedom adds to the objectivity of storytelling and helps in better scripts.

Overcoming adversities

According to Mr. Ghosh, cinema as a medium has the sheer power to overcome adversities, whether of the pandemic or otherwise. For this, India needs a crop of committed filmmakers who will react to the changing world while maintaining the ethos of this country. A way forward is thus what Mr. Ghosh is trying to focus on, where there will be the past yet with no regrets about it. Changes are inevitable, but Mr. Ghosh is busy exploring how best cinema can frame these changes with a positive streak.