Does anyone have friends in the industry? Srijit Mukherji

It���s been a mixed bag for Srijit Mukherji this festive season. There have been brickbats and bouquets ��� if not in equal measure ��� after the release of his Zulfiqar in the Puja weekend. But then, Srijit, who has gone unapologetically mainstream, can be consciously careless about the negative feedback. Firstly, for every negative response, he can post 50 positive reviews on social media.And finally, the film has done roaring business at the opening, and the box office, feels Srijit, never lies. Sitting down for the interview at the CT office after a morning nashta of tea and biscuits, he tells us, ���I am being fattened for the slaughter, so take out the knives��� ��� perhaps remembering the TOI review. We bring out the daggers. Excerpts:
Was it Brand Srijit that brought the audience to the theatres during Puja?
Friday, Saturday, yes��� Sunday onwards, it was the film. It���s a fortnight now and the film broke even on the eighth day and closed in at `3.5 crore on the 11th day. If you divide the amount by the average ticket price, then a huge number of people have watched Zulfiqar. Given that it got greatly polarised reviews, the film has done well. It���s an unapologetically massy, populist film. There are four kinds of audiences who reacted to it. First, people who liked it and those who didn���t. Among those who liked it, there are two kinds ��� an absolutely new audience that had not seen a Srijit Mukherji film before, since they thought my films were niche and aantel. Thanks to them, Barasat, Malda, Sheoraphuli saw housefull shows nine-ten days on the trot. The other half is my core audience, who knew it was going to be mainstream and liked it. Of those who didn���t like Zulfiqar, there are two groups. There���s a part of my core audience, which didn���t take too kindly to me going massy and thought the Srijit elements were missing. Then there are also those who don���t like anything I do; they don���t even like the shape of my nose or the colour of my hair. I am actually focusing on my core audience that didn���t like the film and the new audience. The new audience is the biggest takeaway for me.
Among the new audience, there were those who couldn���t stop hooting every time Nusrat���s pallu came off...
Yes, there were those people. But then, that segment is a minority. A large section was hooting and rooting for the fight sequences and other mainstream elements. It���s a matter of great intellectual arrogance that we sit in urban circles and talk about people who get titillated by falling pallus. We forget that there are lots of other people who react to the mainstream elements. The good thing of social media is that now everyone has a voice. It���s not about the urban elite, new FB profiles are being opened outside Kolkata. You can find a sample of such voices on Facebook, sometimes dismissively categorised as common cine-going audience. It can include Kaushik Sen���s maachwala or Kaushiki Chakraborty, who tweeted that she loved Zulfiqar. Those who loved Zulfiqar are as varied as those who didn���t and the comparative strengths of these two populations are weighed at the box office. And I think no one is debating the verdict.
Did the film see housefull shows in the weekend after Puja?
Yes, in single screens. In plexes, there weren���t that many, but that was for Lakshmi Puja. The trend was observed across films. On Friday, the Lakshmi Puja bazar kept Kolkatans busy. Considering it was Lakshmi Puja, the sales were high. I have spoken to theatre owners and confirmed this fact. It helped as Zulfiqar was in the news���
What about the coming weekend?
Every weekend there will be an average dip. Be it Chander Pahar, Mishawr Rawhoshyo or Praktan, every film has a dip after the first week. The amount of dip depends on the feedback. If it���s positive, the dip is tempered. If it���s negative, the dip is sharp. Otherwise it���s an average dip. Going forward from the third weekend, we expect an average dip.
You mentioned ���mainstream��� a couple of times. Are you harping on it because the industry has been through a year-round drought of hits?
I am setting off on new voyages, some are finding a mark with a bigger section. It has nothing to do with the industry. Autograph was not mainstream; Mishawr Rawhoshyo was. My extreme niche film was Nirbaak and Jaatishwar treaded the same path. The rest are all middle-of-the road films. If you consider my last four films, Nirbaak and Zulfiqar can���t get more diverse in terms of storytelling; It���s the same for Chotushkone and Rajkahini. I want to get into the psyche of people I have not got into. I want to reach out to the masses. Every film has its challenges. As far as the box office is concerned, Nirbaak didn���t work; the rest did. Box office is made up of people of flesh and blood. People pay from their pockets to watch a film. I shifted from theatre to cinema because I wanted to reach out to people. Now, I want to be more inclusive as a storyteller.
Coming to Zulfiqar, are you happy with the end product?
I would not say I have made a great film, but a good mainstream Bangla film, which is brave and has gone into a place no other Bangla film has ever gone. Technically, there is room for improvement. I would have ideally made it in two parts. I wanted to punch in and delineate the graphs of my characters in 2 hours and 20 minutes. That���s why the graphs come across as sharp. I never said it���s the greatest film on earth, but it���s a competitive film.
Was there a rush to release the film during Durga Puja or were you preoccupied with Begum Jaan?
Zulfiqar was finished in January, much before I started Begum Jaan. Also, I was in no rush.
You had to delete certain bits even after the film had been censored. Didn���t that leave you compromised as a director?
No. None of the scenes were deleted. There are three words which were muted and one phrase that was changed. When the request came from the highest quarters ��� mind you as a request, not a directive ��� I asked myself, did my story depend on these three phrases or did muting them take away anything from the film? The answer was an emphatic no. I thought it was a small price to pay for a potential hurt that a film can inadvertently cause or a potential law and order situation that my film can lead to in my city, which I love. There was no question of compromise.
Was it because of an ensemble cast that none of the two big names ��� Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev ��� took the onus of promoting the film on themselves?
There was no problem of ownership, but yes, a date crisis that I had to deal with and suffer for. It was difficult to bring so many actors together and even while shooting I knew promotions were going to be a nightmare. It is, in fact, impossible to do a Zulfiqar get-together in the next three months as all the actors are busy. The marketing team had not been able to get through to people ahead of Durga Puja. I was left with Kyra and Rahul. After a point, I had a word with Dev, who understood and did everything possible to promote the movie.
What about Zulfiqar aka Prosenjit?
At the beginning, he was actively involved. But then, pre-Puja was a bad time. This is a problem I never faced with Rajkahini.
That���s because you find women easier to handle���
(Laughs out loud) What I am trying to say is, the Rajkahini team was much more cooperative.
So, you mean Rituparna Sengupta is better than Prosenjit Chatterjee?
When it comes to dates, Ritu is more accessible. Bumbada (Prosenjit) has many more engagements��� Now, I can���t have a success party as no one is there to party.
Some of the actors even ganged up against you and complained to the producers that you were harsh on them. Did that hurt?
No, it���s okay. I can���t fake things. Even the marketing team of the production house had a lot of problems with me. The promotional resources were divided because there were two releases ��� Gangster and Zulfiqar. Zulfiqar was pitched on a bigger scale than Rajkahini. Also, it is not my film alone, everyone has to take ownership. My love for my film is the love a parent has for his child. I was hurt when people changed dates irresponsibly and let the marketing team down. When such things happen, I go on an overdrive. Extreme situations call for extreme measures. That one needs to promote a film is in the contract. You are legally bound to promote your film. The production house did not impress it upon the actors.
Weren���t you unhappy that your songs, unlike those of Gangster���s, were not playing on the music channel owned by the production house?
I was unhappy and put forward questions and have got answers which satisfied me. The target audience of the channel is more attuned to the music of films like Gangster than the Anupam Roy gharana.
Were the promotions a letdown?
There were a few hoarding deals that did not come through. In the latter half of the campaign, Bumbada and Dev also helped me out. Gangster, on the other hand, had a definite campaign in mind ��� it was launching a new hero and had to go all out.
Why is T���wood plagued by a dog-eat-dog mentality?
I don���t know��� I concentrate on doing my job instead of thinking of all that is plaguing the industry. I like to have a dialogue with my audience. I know people who have come up with vitriolic FB posts on getting bad reviews. My way of dealing with it is by sharing positive reviews. If there are five negative reviews, I share 50 positive reviews. I love countering negativity with positivity.
Which other Puja releases have you seen?
I was present at the premiere of Gangster. Apart from that, I am sorry I have seen none. I was so engrossed with the promotions that I didn���t find time. I was busy balancing the bouquets with the brickbats, but I would like to watch Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana.
Do you have friends in the industry?
Does anyone have friends in the industry?
Yes, some���
(After a pause) I do, very few, but I do.
Who are they? Jaya Ahsan?
I have not spoken to her in a while. Jisshu and Nilanjanaa are there. Then there is ID (Indraadip Das Gupta), Param (Parambrata Chatterjee), Rana Sarkar, Srijato, Shrikant Mohta (s**t I have so few friends, this is depressing) I don���t get to speak to Shibu (Shiboprosad Mukherjee) and Kaushik Ganguly on a day-to-day basis but we have some lovely addas. Anupam is there, but we rarely meet.
If there is a roll of honour in Tollywood, which directors would feature in the top five? You can include yourself.
Every contest has this small thing in fine print. No family member of the employee is allowed to participate. Unfortunately, our industry doesn���t follow this norm. Reason, I never review others��� films as even at an unconscious level, my self-interest could be there. Going by the same principle, I can���t include my name. Also, the list isn���t in order. Definitely, it would include Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, Kaushik Ganguly, Arindam Sil. (After a pause) The other two would be Kamaleswar Mukherjee and Aditya Vikram Sengupta.
A close source has claimed that you obsess over Shiboprosad Mukherjee���s trade figures���
Since 2010, I have delivered one superhit every year. Also, my films have been to festivals. Financially, Shibu���s model is superb. His profit margin is the best in the industry. Generally, my films are made on big budgets and obviously, the return on investment isn���t as big as his. But if we look at the number of hits and awards, it could give a different picture. Also, it isn���t good to pit one director against another; we are directors, not race horses. Cinematically, we maintain our own styles. But yes, I am obsessed with Shiboprosad and his method. My trade figures have been equally good. If the Diwali season goes well, Zulfiqar might overtake Praktan. Now I am not getting into whose trade figures were better ��� Alik Sukh���s or Baishe Srabon���s, Belaseshe���s or Mishawr���s. I know how hard he has worked. I think it should be taught how you can place and position your film and make sure the audience stops downloading pirated versions and comes to theatres to watch films.
What���s next?
Kakababu based on Paharchuraye Atonko. I can���t shoot before May-June and it won���t be a Puja release. It will be shot in Nepal, Bhutan and the Swiss Alps.
With so much going on in your life, don���t you feel the need to rest?
I do. I am unwinding by taking a flight to Mumbai. Those two hours are mine. After that I am Begum Jaan���s.