'We are living in times when, 'GORE' and 'AGGRESSION' is being celebrated, but I have grown up watching Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies' - filmmaker Jaydeep Sarkar

aydeep Sarkar, who's been an ad filmmaker and short film director, is set to make his debut with a full fledged feature film and a web-show (Rainbow Rishta). In a quick chat with ETimes, he talks about his journey, his experience in various formats of film-making, the genre he enjoys the most, and more...
From short films to television shows and web-series - how do you look at your creative journey?
I really like the pursuit of storytelling, and I'm glad that I am able to walk between all these three worlds. For starters, a show like Rainbow Rishta gives you a really immersive experience as a filmmaker, where you can enter and experience a fantasy world that you otherwise would not. On the other hand, what advertising gives you is the joy of being able to tell a story with sharper thoughts and being able to communicate a lot in 30 seconds. So, your work has to be layered, and it has to sort of be at the forefront of your craft as well. And short films, I've made only two. And both, in 'Nayantara's Necklace' and 'Ishq Mastana', I got to explore themes that you probably cannot do in longer formats or in advertising. So thematically, the kind of joys that you get in short films is very, very interesting. And it's great to be able to traverse all these different worlds.

You've made a short film with Konkona Sen Sharma which received accolades at the New York Film Festival. As a filmmaker how confident does that make you?
I think I was lucky that in Nayantara's Necklace, I had Tillotama Shome and Konkona Sen Sharma, both dear friends of mine. And for both of them, the script really resonated. They are also friends in real life. It's a film about female friendship and one witnessed a beautiful bonding between these girls. So, that is something that was very interesting for me as a filmmaker. And of course, they're at the top of their craft. There is also Gulshan Devaiah in the film, who's just brilliant, so the way the chemistry between these three actors developed was great.

Konkona is also a brilliant director, how much does that help? Has there been any learning?
Konkona is a brilliant actor and storyteller. Collaborating with her is always fun because she's extremely candid, honest and authentic with her approach to life, stories and situations, and it always makes things richer. Even though we are childhood friends, we both have very defined ways of looking at the world. This results in great synergy and a great synthesis that only makes the work richer.
Tell us about your experience on your show Rainbow Rishta...
It has been a really fruitful experience, and finding the stories on the edit table made many things interesting for us. For example Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju's story has turned out exactly how we wanted it, and the last shot that we end Trinetra's story with, is actually the first scene we ever shot on the show.

What are your aspirations as a filmmaker in terms of the kind of stories you wish to tell and the wish-list of actors you want to work with?
I want to work with all kinds of actors, really. And I want to work with actors who are in love with the craft and bring positive synergy on the set. In terms of narratives, we are living in times when gore, rage, aggression is being celebrated but I have grown up on the films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and these amazing Hollywood comedies. So, I really hope we can veer towards happiness and more life affirming narratives. For instance, when I saw 'The Elephant Whisperers' as well, it's such a life affirming, amazing, beautiful film about not just the elephants, but the couple who end up getting married.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.
I love the power of comedy and think it comes from a very real place. Moreover, it can convey the darkest of thoughts without being preachy. So, next up, I am working on a show and movie, both comedies. It has been such a joyful experience and I am really enjoying myself.