Left four Bengali films to concentrate on production: Ankush
Actor Ankush was on cloud nine when he saw the initial response to the announcement teaser of his action flick ‘Mirza’. It was supposed to mark Ankush’s debut as a producer and was eyeing an Eid 2023 release. But then, Ankush and the other makers had a fallout and now, the film has been pushed. Even Ankush doesn’t have an exact date in mind for when the film will go on floors. However, he is confident that in 2023, he will start shooting for the film. Meanwhile, the actor has left four big-budget Bengali films to concentrate on the pre-production of ‘Mirza’.
It was his real-life partner Oindrila Sen who motivated Ankush to take up production seriously. “I told him that if he is interested in production, he needs to let go of certain things and concentrate fully,” she said.
Post his OTT plunge with the very successful ‘Shikarpur’, Ankush had his kitty full. But the actor decided to concentrate on production. “I gave quantity too much importance rather than quality. Though I am happy with films like ‘Uttwaraan’ and ‘F.I.R No. 339/07/06’, I knew I had to slow down if I wanted to make good films,” he said.
A product of hardcore commercial cinema, Ankush, who made his debut in Bengali films with ‘Kellafate’ in 2010, still has high hopes for the genre. So, what if the potboiler Bengali films are not working with the audience here?
“The language of commercial cinema has changed. Today, we need to have a strong plot to drive a potboiler. In Bollywood, too, we didn’t have a successful commercial film for a long time till ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Tu Jhooti Mein Makkaar’ arrived. Bengali films like ‘Tonic’, ‘Projapati’ and ‘Karnasubarner Guptodhon’ worked because of solid stories. Sadly, successful commercial Bengali directors are trying to move away from the genre, which was their forte and makes other types of films,” said Ankush.
However, Ankush thinks his latest film, ‘Love Marriage’ has all the ingredients to lure Bengali audiences to Poila Baishak. With a stellar cast comprising Ranjit Mullick and Sohag Sen, the film also stars Oindrila.
So, what made Ankush and Oindrila take up ‘Love Marriage’? “I have always wondered how lucky Ayushmann Khurrana is. He got the best scripts when it came to small-time boy roles and the struggles of small-town families. ‘Love Marriage’ is that kind of cinema, where people will be able to relate,” said Ankush.
For Oindrila, the purpose was different. She had acted with Mullick in ‘Raju Uncle’ in 2005 and didn’t want to let go of the opportunity of working with the veteran actor again in ‘Love Marriage’. “We are lucky to share the screen with an actor like Ranjit Mullick. He comes to the set unprepared but once he faces the camera, it’s magic,” said Ankush.
