Wanted to direct a film for quite some time: Arna Mukhopadhyay
Arna Mukhopadhyay is a product of theatre, but he has also made his mark as an actor in Bengali films such as ‘Hoichoi’, ‘8/12 Binay Badal Dinesh’, ‘Dictionary’ and ‘Byomkesh Hatyamancha’. However, his wish was always to direct a Bengali feature film, a passion he nurtured even before stepping into acting. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he penned three to four screenplays, including ‘Athhoi’, a script based on their long-running hit play. When Arna shared it with his friend and longtime theatre collaborator Anirban Bhattacharya, the response was immediate and positive. “Anirban instantly connected with the screenplay of ‘Athhoi’,” recalled Arna. “It wasn’t about pitching to a producer. He genuinely liked it. So, we approached Srikant Mohta with the script, who later watched our play and gave ‘Athhoi’ the green light,” he said.
As a theatre artiste, Arna naturally leans towards adapting more plays into films. He currently has two screenplays based on Anton Chekhov’s works ready. Also, as an actor, he wants to do meatier roles in films. When asked if he plans to direct after ‘Athhoi’, he said, “I want to. Let’s see how the audiences respond to ‘Athhoi’.”
The film, a Bengali adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ has Arna in the lead role, alongside Sohini Sarkar and Anirban. For Arna, like any art practitioner, performing Shakespeare on stage or screen is a dream come true. “Some filmmakers celebrate violence, pain, friendship or happiness. Shakespeare’s works encompass all emotions and reactions. I have acted in and directed Shakespeare and Tagore on stage before and I would do so again,” said Arna, who liked adaptations of Shakespeare in ‘Omkara’, ‘Bhranti Bilas’ and ‘Mandaar’.
Of course, Arna had to make technical and creative changes in the script of ‘Athhoi’ to make it ‘big screen friendly’, but then he mentioned that the soul of the story has remained intact. “We have focused on the imagery, visual and magical elements of the text more in the film,” he said.
Shakespeare explores love, betrayal, jealousy, manipulation and the destructive power of unchecked emotions in ‘Othello’. There’s also a commentary on today’s social media in the film, which Arna thought was necessary to include. So, in the chaos and manipulation of social media, how can an artiste manage to preserve their sanctity? “You can’t stay unaffected. We live in a dark, pessimistic space today. Sometimes, it feels like we're nearing extinction. Although I’m not active on social media, I see how it changes the voices of my friends and colleagues. The challenge lies in maintaining our sanctity. When we lose that, we struggle to create something significant and meaningful,” he said.
