Tanni Chaudhuri’s ‘After The Threshold’ addresses mental health issues during distress

Filmmaker Tanni Chaudhuri’s latest ‘After The Threshold’ is a stark commentary on human narratives surrounding mental health. The film starring Anangsha Biswas, Rishav Basu, Sankar Debnath, Satakshi Nandy, Palash Chaturvedi, Paramita Sen, Aparajita Yolmo and Riyaan Ghosh represents a unique cultural collaboration between West Bengal and New England, USA as well. The song ‘Shesh Icche’, by Boston-based band Philomela, aptly sums up the theme of this film on mental health that blurs the fine line between sinking and survival.The long-short was recently screened at a Kolkata café in presence of the cast and crew. Actor-director Tathagata Mukherjee graced the special screening and insisted that independent films like these needs everyone’s support.

The story starts in the house of a well-established psychologist who is being interviewed on mental health issues in times of Covid. While the interviewer discusses the trends in India, in a different location in the same house, the psychologist’s associates are waiting for their turn for the interview. In lieu of the imminent interview prep, they talk about their short life histories.These protagonists include a cab driver Abdul, privileged yet struggling doctor Vishnu Singh, fashion designer Mahi Patel, celebrated dancer Suhasini , painter and photographer Joshojitand his musician friend Daniel. In the end all but one of the protagonists can make it to the threshold or edge of the house - as they physically get ready for the interview. The threshold personifies the thin line between life and death, memory and actuality, existence and experience. While those that are listened to cross the threshold, the one left behind in essence is the listener. This intense narrative—in its emotional roller coaster of 45 minutes, discloses who gets to tell their stories and who gets left behind.

The artistic colab in ‘After The Threshold’ is something unique and shows why these things should happen more. Filmmaker Tanni Chaudhuri is a Providence, Rhode Island based faculty in sociology and the original idea was conceived and written in the context of the immigrant diaspora in the United States. The Bengali translation was adapted to reflect contemporary West Bengal. The film also has Boston based actor Paramita Sen whose part as the interviewer was shot in the United States. The musical part makes the film even more interesting. Philomela, a band based out of Boston (comprising Sharanya Sarkar Verma, Debadeep Bhattacharyya,Ayon Basumallik and Koushik Chakrabarty), rendered their song ‘Shesh Icche’for the film.The Director of the music video, and creative Consultant Arup Dey is also a New England based faculty.

Sharing more details about the concept of the film the director said, “As a filmmaker human perspective around us creates different levels of intrigue. This time it was different though-I wanted to be a seeker of that I could not directly observe. Navigating the social life around me, I wanted to find a home which has not known anxiety, depression, stress or any other manifestations of mental health. Because I couldn’t find one, I “built” the house of Dr. A instead.
The house brings together unique social identities in the aftermath of the battles they once were a part of. For me Chowkath Periye (After the Threshold) is a directorial statement on the often-unapparent indistinction between sinking and survival. In my hope of reaching out to many, I choose survival.”