Happy with ‘Tope’ screening at KIFF: Buddhadeb Dasgupta

Acclaimed filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta said he is happy to see the audience’s interest in his film ‘Tope’ (The Bait) at the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

“A film of mine is being screened in Kolkata International Film Festival after over a decade and that film is ‘Tope’, my adaptation of a story by eminent Bengali writer Narayan Gangopadhyay. I am happy with the audience interest to the film here,” Buddhadeb told a press conference at Nandan before the screening of the film at the 22nd KIFF on Tuesday evening.

He recalled the buzz triggered by ‘Tope’ at Toronto International Film Festival at its world premiere, and later in London.

To a question he said his films had always enjoyed a large market abroad, which other Bengali filmmakers need to capture as well. Buddhadeb disagreed that only his films ‘Uttara’, ‘Baghbahadur’ were commercially successful and pointed out that his other works including ‘Kalpurush’, ‘Lal Darja’, ‘Janala’, ‘Mando Meyer Upakshyan’ ran for days together in theatres.

“Now I hope ‘Tope’ will also have a good commercial run here.”

Asking everyone to be a little pro-active in promoting good cinema, he said: “The film producer will not track you for coming to the hall. You have to come on your own to watch a cinema.” 

About ‘Tope’, Buddhadeb said the short story was one of the best in Bengali literature and his treatment resonated with his own brand of cinema, with which his audience has become familiar all over the world.

“I will only keep doing things in my own way, doing my brand of cinema on subjects which agitate and inspire me.”

The story centres around middle-aged Randeep, descendant of the royal family, and his quest to give a pair of shoes made of tiger skin to the lady he loves.

Recounting her experience about starring in this film, actress Paoli Dam said she was amazed to see Buddhadeb’s technical knowledge.

“In every work of Buddha’da you have something unique to learn, in treatment and in techniques. And we all discussed a lot in between the shots on various subjects,” she said.

National Award winning actress Ananya Chatterjee said ‘Tope’ was her third film with Buddhadeb and she enjoyed working in it. ‘Tope’ also stars theatre artiste Sudipto Chattopadhyay and Malabika.