Careless whispers with Pradeep Sarkar 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, June 6, 2005 - 08:25 IST
He speaks soft, whispers is more like it.
Half your energies are drained straining to hear what the filmmaker has to say. But when Pradeep does speak, he has your attention. His restraint finds expression in the love between Lolita & Shekhar, Pradeep’s poetry is when he creates stunning visuals of Kolkatta and the anger finds voice when Saif uproots a pillar in the film.
Perspective and passionate, emotional and energetic, traditional and tyrannical, all at once. We are enveloped in a Bengali blanket when Pradeep da discusses the life he lived for two years…Parineeta
Taking an idea from paper to the silver screen, what was it like?
I was contemplating on the idea from quite some time. There was a whole lot of research, thought & brainstorming that went into deciding on the film. It feels like saat janam. And here I would like to tell people that Parineeta is not a period film, not an arty film either. It is quick & speedy; the film lasts for only 2 hours. It travels without a pause.
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“Parineeta isn’t an arty film”
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The journey should have been nothing less than fascinating…
What interested me best was creating the basic screenplay. Juxtaposing characters where they meet, collide and strip apart was very interesting. The film got made there! Then again, transporting the artists to Kolkatta where they soaked the characters was fabulous.
Sanjay didn’t remain the macho Sanjay Dutt, he became Girish, Saif wasn’t the Chote Nawab any longer; he was now the short-fused Shekhar. That I think is brilliant. Also, since Parineeta is a visual film, the kind of images that we managed to paint for it is special to me.
Your film unfolds in the culture pot, Kolkatta. Tell us about your shooting spells there.
I was very clear that if Parineeta had to be made, it needed Kolkatta. It was a clear choice which Vidhu backed despite it weighing heavy on his coiffeurs. Shooting anywhere else would have robbed the film off its flavor. I wanted the ‘lived-in-feel’ to my characters and that would be possible only when they touch the sand, soil and air of Kolkatta. I think we have managed the ‘As is, where is’ temper to a good deal.
What were the vibes on the sets like?
I am a maniac on the sets! I am so hyperactive that I tend to scream a lot. But that kind of worked for me, because when I used to blow my top, Sanju used to be like, ‘Hey guys, settle down, or else he might have a stroke!’
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“Vidya is a huge plus for Bollywood!”
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Watching you speak like this, I find it a little tough to believe that
Ha! that again is because I have exhausted myself on the sets!
Your cast interests us a great deal. How was it to work with Saif?
Saif contrary to what most think is an intense actor. The best part being he is a natural and never goes over the top. You will never catch him hamming! He sits back and throws it out. If there is a scene, which requires him to fight with the co-actor, he will really pick a fight; that makes the scene explosive! There is a certain fire and frenzy that he brings along.
You have managed to lock our yuppie, the cool dude of Bollywood in traditional Bengali wear!
Interesting but know something; when you say that Pradeepda, you have given Saif such a radical role, I say, I haven’t! To me, he is still the avant garde guy. He is still charming & suave like in Kal Ho Na Ho, pungent & edgy like in Ek Hasina Thi. But here’s the twist, I have just put him in another time band. It’s a time when Elvis was in, the Beatles rocked. So he is still the cool dude, but it isn’t Mumbai 2005, instead the sixties of Kolkatta!
In Sanjay’s case, how did you flirt with popular perception of his ‘macho-man’ image?
(Smiles) Well, even if I were to follow Sanjay’s action guy image, I still don’t have a problem. Because I believe there is an innocence to Sanju even while doing action. All I have done is subtract the action from his image and I got Girish. A man who is lovable, nice, innocent and huge hearted.
Pretty clinical, must say!
(Laughs) Well, you now know what it takes to put a film together!
Can’t wait to know about Vidya Balan…
What do I tell about her? I have worked with her a couple of times and such intensity is rare! She electrifies the screen.
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“Saif picked up fights on the sets!”
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What according to you makes her the ideal choice for Lolita?
I for one believe that the quintessential Indian woman for the screen is missing today. Vidya fills that void beautifully. I often say that she is like clay, soft and hence can be molded. And I didn’t cast her as one of my whims, she was screen tested for 6 months before we zeroed her.
We agree there, there is a certain old world charm to her…
Yes but that’s because of her eyes. Mask her face and her eyes alone can emote anything, from tears to trauma, laughter to life. Bollywood has a fantastic actress in Vidya! She is a huge plus to Bollywood.
Apart from the stars, the music is something that people seem to have liked…
I am glad that people have taken to the music. Our music director Shantanu Moitra deserves that. Shantanu doesn’t “make” music, he just strums a guitar and music happens…
That is a huge compliment coming from a person like you, who are told has a keen ear for music
But what Shantanu has given me is far bigger than what I ever imagined for Parineeta. If you are looking for sweetness and melody, Shantanu is the guy to approach. He throws away so many music pieces that most musicians would make a life out of. He is a natural and unbelievably sincere to his work, rather his passion. There is a bit of Ravindra sangeet too that we have used.
Talking of music, the Rekha track is creating a lot of buzz
You know these kind of funda songs are no longer created. Kaisi Paheli hain Zindagani is one of those songs that gives away the underlying meaning of life. We tested a few actresses for the part but it just wasn’t measuring up.
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“The actors had to feel the sand, soil & air of Kolkatta. Or else Parineeta wouldn’t happen!”
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All that they did was lip sync without giving anything to the song. I am a very restless man and was kind of upset since the performance weren’t matching my vision, that’s when I realized that we needed a person who has experienced life to sing about it and we had the answer, Rekha it had to be!
You want to talk about her…
Where do I start? When she began rehearsing, I knew I had nothing to worry. From the costume, to the styling, to giving the song the ethereal touch, the woman is sheer magic! You should see her sketches man, so artistic! Such creativity is uncommon! The song on its part is representative of the club culture of Kolkatta of the sixties. We had Broadway quality dancers fill in and the effect you see is mesmerizing!
Finally, is there a hidden fear somewhere, ‘What if Parineeta fails’?
No, fear is when you know you haven’t been true to what you believe. With Parineeta, I have no such worries. Parineeta is not a period film of the 60’s but a modern film of the sixties! It is not pretentious and I am hoping that people will come to the theatres to listen to a good story being told.
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Aamir Khan in Parineeta?
