‘Why rely solely on OTT and satellite rights?’

At a time when few Bengali films succeed at the box office and the debate over ‘Bengali cinema being ghatiya’ is still prominent, director Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay said that it’s crucial for filmmakers to step out of their ‘safe zones’ and embrace risk and experimentation.

“I believe filmmakers here are not taking enough risks. We’re mostly creating content that feels like a safe bet for the box office. If we stayed within our comfort zones, we wouldn’t have made films like ‘Haami’, ‘Raktabeej’ or ‘Dabaru’,” said Mukhopadhyay, who celebrates his 50th birthday today.

As one of the frontline directors in the Bengali film industry, Mukhopadhyay believes age is ‘just a number’. When told he looks like a young boy in his upcoming Durga Puja film ‘Bohurupi’, he laughed heartily. Besides turning 50, he also celebrates 30 years in the entertainment industry.

Having started off his career as a theatre actor, Mukhopadhyay moved into the Bengali TV industry, mostly working on non-fiction shows before stepping into the director’s chair with ‘Icche’ in 2011, alongside Nandita Roy. Since then, their collaboration has given Bengali cinema numerous hits such as ‘Praktan’, ‘Bela Seshe’, ‘Haami’, ‘Raktabeej’ and others. “In my journey through different phases of the entertainment industry, I’ve learned the importance of experimentation and taking on challenges without fixating on the results,” said Mukhopadhyay. He also mentioned plans for a Hindi series and film in the near future.

For Mukhopadhyay, ‘Icche’ will always hold a special place in his heart. He also noted how he and Roy have never conceptualised a film with an eye on the box office. This raises an interesting issue about the inability of Bengali films to get satellite rights, leading to further losses for the industry. Mukhopadhyay anticipated this trend and wasn't surprised. “Why rely solely on OTT and satellite rights? As filmmakers, our main focus should be creating a quality product. If a filmmaker calculates potential revenue from satellite and OTT rights without making a good product, the consequences are inevitable. Are we making films just for the satellite or for the wider audience?” questioned Mukhopadhay.

He further added, “Though ‘Praktan’ was a blockbuster, it’s been eight years since we reunited Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta on screen. Their pairing guarantees strong satellite rights, but we don’t make films solely for that purpose. We haven’t found a story compelling enough to bring them together again.”

Mukhopadhyay’s acting caliber is well-known, with notable performances in Raja Dasgupta’s ‘Ekushe Pa’ and ‘Kontho’ still earning praise. This year, audiences can watch him in ‘Amar Boss’ alongside veteran Rakhi Gulzar and ‘Bohurupi’. “Nandita di and our production house have gifted me these acting assignments for my 50th birthday,” he smiled and added, “‘Bohurupi’ is our most expensive and colourful film to date.”