‘Cause Calcutta And Other Stories

Karon Kolkata Ebong Onyo Golpo is a film that was within my body-mind-soul since my first conscious moment. Perhaps I knew not that it was to become a film, but as I grew up and saw the changing beauty of my beloved mother-city I knew this place, its people, its utterly quaint glory had to be captured and shared with all. It is an ancient city, Kolkata. It is agelessly antique. A complete system in itself. Preserves, Destroys, Creates within itself. This is an attempt to capture its movement in time. As it changes its visage speedily, this is to achieve moments and places of a most unique people.
I have tried to cover various emotions through different genres and styles in this film. Five short tales make up the whole. Since Kolkata is such a vivid mixture of characteristics, communities, colours and flavours, I have spread out these unique traits across the five stories and their varying genres to capture the craziness that is Calcutta. The stories don’t culminate together. Rather, each tale tries to share certain location-event-thought specific feeling that the city communicates.
Kolkata or Calcutta (as the British had dubbed it) is a city stuck in time. Industrial development has stagnated. Economy has waned in the last decades. Yet it is a splendid city, even though mired in over-population and permanent recession. Despite its many failings Kolkata shines with glorious madness. It is a rare brave place where Male and Female are considered equals and women are worshipped as Goddesses! I want to show to the world that Kolkata is as beautiful as the greatest cities ever.
This is my first film. I had a tiny crew and an even tinier budget. I wanted to make movies because it seemed all kinds of art can smoothly come together in this medium. Be it theatre or dance or song or painting or graphic literature, all can be absorbed into the form of cinema. This film could be made with a handful of people and a fistful of money because we made it differently. Mixing media, delving into various arts, getting inspired by new technology and attempting to create things with eager minds and hands. We tried to turn our weaknesses into strengths. After all, what is moviemaking, if not a mad irrepressible determined urge to make beauty?! We made this film with absolute love. It was the greatest learning experience of our lives till now.