Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee is trying to find his way home. The 47-year-old multi-disciplinary artiste’s latest directorial venture HOME is a compelling short film exploring gender politics, portrayed through the voices and expressions of 12 renowned women actors from Kolkata’s film industry. The short film draws inspiration from Arundhati Subramaniam’s poem with the same title. “I came across this poem through my sister. She suggested that I recite it at a reading that I was invited to at the oldest queer bookstore in Toronto called Glad Day. The poem stayed with me. It hasn’t left me ever since.”
Chatterjee believes that art doesn’t leave him easily and makes him think about multiple aspects of existence. “If I watch a play, I may be reminded of a painting. The idea for HOME hit me while discussing the concept of ‘belonging’ in class, where I teach audio theatre. I was discussing it with the students when somebody said, ‘Home is gender’ and that stayed with me. It is a huge spectrum. What happened over the years is that I realised I had to make this film. I am an artiste and chose film as the medium of expression.”
Presented by Rituparna Sengupta and mentored by Sohag Sen, the film was an official selection at the I View World International film festival held in Delhi recently, but Chatterjee’s love for filmmaking did not come easy. “My journey has not been a bed of roses. I pursued a career in economics. I thought the best thing to happen to me was that I did not have the mind to do performance arts right away. I wanted to do my corporate career well. I have no regrets and also knew that beyond a point there was no growth in Kolkata. I have worked very hard. I did not expect a full house for a short film.”
HOME was earlier screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival and Birmingham Indian Film Festival. Using cinema as a medium, Chatterjee explores the importance of art in today’s age and time. “My art will decide my relevance. I no longer participate in processions and marches. Also, I’ve realised that consumerism has drastically changed. When I did a show two years back at Habitat, so many people had come from small cities. That surprised me. I don’t buy my followers. I am sure people need to do that because it is necessary. But, I don’t. My art is my strength.”
Speaking about his mother, Chatterjee mentions how she gave him words that give him strength. “My mother has a strong role to play in my life. When I was bullied as a kid, she would tell me that your world is bigger than what you think. That stayed with me.”
Chatterjee deeply believes that art cannot be free and the importance of films doing well in regional film industries should be paid attention to. “Like I mentioned that consumer behaviour has totally changed after the pandemic and that impacts the decision of marketers. Regional cinema cannot interplay with these forces. Very few regional players in Kolkata are market savvy. They lack the acumen for selling a film. The roadblock is not just the distribution. It is also the approach. I produced a film during Covid using my own money that I earned through online classes.”
As Chatterjee believes that art needs takers, his silent film had many. It spoke for itself and left the room full of people contemplating long after the credits rolled.