I don’t make films with any agenda: Arjunn Dutta

In one of the crucial scenes in ‘Deep Fridge’, Mili (Tnusree Chakraborty) struggles to chip away at the thick layer of ice inside a broken refrigerator. It’s stubborn, much like the wounds and silences that have built up between Swarnava (Abir Chatterjee) and Mili. The fridge, faulty and frozen, becomes the perfect metaphor for their relationship. And when the ice finally melts by the end, it feels like the emotional weight they have been carrying has also begun to thaw.

Watching director Arjunn Dutta standing outside ‘Nandan’ on a winter afternoon, handing out tickets for the special screening of his National Award-winning Bengali film and waiting anxiously for audience reactions, one couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Has he managed to melt his own grief or is he still carrying emotions frozen deep inside?’ Arjunn lost his mother while making ‘Deep Fridge’ and just three days before its release in end-November, he lost his brother. The young filmmaker is still moving around on a crutch after a major spine surgery. “I was in mourning during the premiere. This film has changed me personally in many ways,” he said softly.

Arjunn is only four films old in the Bengali film industry, beginning with ‘Abyakto’ in 2018 and yet he’s already bagged a National Award. Not an easy milestone for any young filmmaker. But does a National Award help the film itself?

“I really don’t understand the box-office game. I don’t make films with any agenda. I still create what I believe in. Awards do bring recognition, but that doesn’t mean the film is heavy or. Films simply reflect society. ‘Deep Fridge’ speaks to the modern, urban relationships of today,” he said.

For independent filmmakers like him, a slot at ‘Nandan’ matters. He even took to social media to question why a National Award-winning film was given a 1 pm show. “On Wednesday, 280 people turned up to watch ‘Deep Fridge’ at ‘Nandan’. I’m grateful to the small but loyal audience that trusts my storytelling. From Friday, we shift to a 6 pm show at ‘Nandan II’,” he said.

According to Arjunn, the biggest hurdle for indie films is simply surviving in theatres for two to three weeks. “The system itself is tough. Multiplexes pull down films within three to four days if they don’t perform. But a film like ‘Deep Fridge’, which doesn’t have a massive promotional budget, needs at least a week to build word-of-mouth. If the film is removed within a week, where do we go? Where does all our hard work go? I understand multiplexes have to run their business, but we also need space to showcase our creativity. There has to be a middle path. With independent producers, even releasing a film is a battle,” he said.

He recalled how Abir took time to say yes to ‘Deep Fridge’. “Abir da has never played someone like Swarnava. He hesitated a lot, wondering how the audience would react. And now people are loving him. Tnusree is one of the most underused talents in Bengali cinema,” he said.

Winning the National Award, Arjunn added, has made him feel both proud and pressured. “It has increased my responsibility. I know I have to raise the bar,” he said. Up next for him is ‘Bibi Payra’, a comedy of errors starring Swastika Mukherjee and Paoli Dam. “This is a completely new zone for me. But I’m sure the audience will enjoy watching Swastika and Paoli together,” he said.