I’ve always looked beyond my class & milieu: Director Goutam Ghose

On his Delhi visit, director Goutam Ghose discusses the experience of making Parikrama, his upcoming film, in which he worked with Marco Leonardi known for his work in the Italian film Cinema Paradiso, and Chitrangada Singh
Actors Marco Leonardi and Chitrangada Singh in Parikrama
Actors Marco Leonardi and Chitrangada Singh in Parikrama (File Photo)
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The parallel cinema movement, which offered a different cinema experience to the Indian audience, does not currently have many flagbearers. The movement, mainly inspired by Italian neo-realist cinema, had working-class lives shot with a sympathetic eye as its subject. Indian director Goutam Ghose, whose cinematic journey started in the ’70s with this genre, has made realistic films as well.

Some of the most well-known ones are Antarjali Jatra (1987), Padma Nadir Majhi (1993), Gudia (1997), Moner Manush (2010), and Paar (1984). His film Parikrama is slated to hit the theatres soon. Excerpts from the conversation with the director:

Congratulations on your upcoming film Parikrama. What made you choose a subject like this?

The film revolves around the connection between an Italian documentary maker Alexander (Marco Leonardi) who sets out on a journey to India to make a film on pilgrims and Lala (Aaryan Badkul), a small hawker boy who shares a heart-wrenching tale of how his village gets submerged into the river Narmada because of a reservoir project. Chitrangada Singh plays Rupa, an activist who helps Alexander in his journey.

Although the film is slated to be released in March, the idea came to my mind nearly two decades back after I read The Story Of Lala, a novel by an Italian producer friend Sergio Scapagnini. It deals with a poor village boy who moves to a big city to help his family. The postscript suggested the author met a boy on Juhu beach once who shared a story similar to the fiction. So I decided to have dual protagonists–first, the little boy, and the second, a European who would narrate the story.

Aaryan Badkul plays a hawker boy in Parikrama
Aaryan Badkul plays a hawker boy in Parikrama(File Photo)

While looking for a cinematic backdrop, I came across a book by Amritlal Vegad that beautifully captured the nature of the Narmada River and his experience along the banks. By joining the connecting dots, I explored three elements, the displacement of pilgrims’ paths, the environmental displacement as many beautiful places go under reservoirs, and the human cost of development.

Why is this an Indo-Italian production?

After my film Abar Aranye (2003) premiered in Venice, Sergio came and discussed the possibilities of making the film based on his novel. I thought of a script at that time but was involved in a different project involving Niccolao Manucci and Dara Shikoh. When the project did not take off, Sergio again asked me about the film. It would be the first Indo-Italian co-production.

What started nearly 20 years back is finally finished now. I finished the Italian part right before the pandemic. Then the Indian company that was involved before collapsed. Hence, it got struck and we had to find a different producer and it went through a lot of complications. I finally made the film with Sergio’s team, Amedeo Paganini, and Mumbai’s Live Journey Production as producers.

How was the experience of working with Marco Leonardi and Chitragandra Singh?

I watched Chitrangada in the film Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and thought that her face would work perfectly for the film. Additionally, she is someone who knows English and Hindi very well–something I was specifically looking for. Marco is very popular for his work Cinema Paradiso, however, I decided to take him in the film after watching him in Maradona, the Hand of God, and Once Upon A Time In Mexico. He is a fantastic actor.

However, the real challenge was with casting two child actors. Emmanuel, who played Marco’s son, and Aaryan Badkul who played Lala’s character. Aaryan was the most shy among all the child artists. He had the perfect look and an intelligent mind. Hence, I took him. We also developed a very good bond.

The lives of the people belonging to the marginalised sections have been a focal point in your films. Any reason why you focus on their quotidian affairs as your subject?

Whom are we calling marginalised? Yes, many are poor and living on the margins, however, they carry their culture, tradition, and language. My filmmaking has always been a quest to go around and meet these people whom I do not know. In a diverse country like India, I have always tried to look beyond my class and milieu through filmmaking. In most of my films, I have tried to represent their struggles, anger, joy, and contradictions.

Has the Narmada Bachao movement inspired the film?

Although the film is about the river and the displacement, it does not draw a direct connection to the movement.

What are your next projects?

Throughout my life, I have loved and enjoyed making documentaries. I feel alive making documentary films like Hungry Autumn (1974), Meeting A Milestone (1994) on Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ray (1999) on Satyajit Ray, and Impermanence (2004) on Dalai Lama. I do not know whether I will be able to make this due to my age, but I want to make a film on the lemurs found in Madagascar. In addition, a film on the great poet Jibanananda Das is stuck because of the current turmoil in Bangladesh. It is a Bangladeshi production. I am also thinking of making a film on delivery boys and girls. The name is yet to be decided.

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