00:00I wanted to clear this long back and glad that you asked me this question and though the film
00:09was selected under Marshe still there is a process actually so not necessarily that every
00:15film which goes to Marshe will have a theatre screening no I respect everybody's work because
00:22it's a work of art I enjoy watching various sort of film money the first point the second point I
00:29don't believe in stardom my father's father was a barrister but my mother's father he was a person
00:36of finance but he was a great writer today we have with us Indira Ghor who's a famous film director who
00:46has got nominations for the Cannes Film Festival and we'll talk at length with Indira Indira welcome
00:54to the show thank you thank you so much we'll now explore about about how you came into filmmaking
01:01and this putul so first tell me about about putul the which has created a sort of sound
01:08putul was not nominated in Cannes actually putul was selected for a screening in Cannes which was a
01:15bigger it's it was definitely a very big achievement for Bengali film I would say and though the film
01:22was selected under Marshe still there is a process actually so we had a proper premier
01:30Can you explain under Marshe I would I would I would see Cannes is the world's one of the biggest
01:36film festivals and the best ones and I would say that there are categories there is a competition
01:44segment there is an out of competition segment you have various pavilions then you have a huge
01:50marshe there are booth screenings inside the marshe which is the marketplace but I wanted to clear
01:58this long back and glad that you asked me this question putul was screened at Palaeji Palaeji
02:08is a theatre in Cannes and it was the world premiere for the film that is the reason it became huge
02:16it's a huge news but Palaeji is under Marshe so not necessary that every film which goes
02:22to Marshe will have a theatre screening no no so we had to go under a process under which
02:29we went and I would say that I am very fortunate that it happened and I would like to thank all
02:36the media houses for bringing out the truth of it talking about the film because when putul's
02:43screening happened at Cannes I would say that at that point of time no one knew about the
02:48film after Oscars it became a huge thing people started talking about the film but at that point
02:54of time no one knew about putul so I am very blessed it is about street children yes putul
03:00is based on street children so how is it different from any other any other film like run of the
03:05film you see putul I would say that it is my first feature film I made a lot of short films
03:11in the past a large-scale short films which we call which was in various OTTs national OTTs
03:19however search stars and the green window and I worked with good actors like Jayaseel Ghosh and
03:27Shaib Chattopadhyay during my short film and specially Faruk Jafar who was also in you know Gulabo
03:35Sittabu with Mr. Bachchan she did my first short film called Mulakat so I did a plethora of short
03:42films then I moved on to feature film I wanted to make a film which will create an impact the
03:49film will speak on its own and the film will become history I wanted to create such a film I
03:56respect everybody's work because it's a work of art I enjoy watching various sort of films and what
04:05I realized is that I think that Bengal didn't see a film without a song you know for ages putul
04:17is a film which didn't had any song Iti Ma was a promotional song but putul is a film which was just the content
04:25No big actors So can you explain in a nutshell what putul is about how it is different
04:34Putul is about seeing the society through the eyes of a six year old street child the double standards of the society
04:42That is what putul is about
04:46And how easy or how difficult what is to change your subject from like Soch, Stars, Nauputul
04:55Soch was on domestic violence I did receive like Joyadi and myself Joyashil Ghosh and myself
05:01We went and we took the appreciation trophy which we got for Soch from Information Broadcasting Ministry at MIF in Bombay
05:09Soch was on domestic violence Joyashil Ghosh and Shair Chattavardhaya was wonderful in Soch and it was screened also at the film division in Bombay and see my if you see the kind of subjects I work with whether it's putul or all my short films these are social subjects
05:31I did not expect that putul will get this kind of reception
05:38When I made the film it was a real struggle because I couldn't make anybody understand that exactly what I want and what I am about to make
05:50You know my actors all the actors in the film I am grateful to them that they understood my journey they understood what I am trying to make
06:00All the actors because people ask me now why didn't you cast a bigger actor
06:07I didn't have that money the first point the second point I don't believe in stardom
06:14I would like to work with an actor for the talent
06:19Who fits the film
06:21Not for the film
06:22No, it is not necessary that if anybody is famous an actor who is famous is a good actor
06:30It is not necessary that if someone is not that famous is a bad actor
06:35Exactly
06:36I belong to that thought process I belong to that school
06:41So in the cacophony of all these films and your career I will just go into your childhood
06:49How you became a film maker from a South Kolkata
06:54Typical South Kolkata girl
06:57How was the journey?
06:59I have been to a convent school, a very reputed convent school where I am brought up by sisters from Daughters of the Cross
07:06Their headquarters are in Rome and see I belong to a family where everybody is educated
07:12My parents for them education was the main key
07:16But having said that you know I started writing skits and plays from the age of 7 or 8
07:23I went to such a school by God's grace that I got the opportunity to perform on stage or to create on stage at a very early age
07:30So dramatics started at a very early age
07:33Whether it was a dance drama, I was a performer at that point of time, I was also a writer
07:38Then later on see I will have to mention my grandfather's name
07:44My father's father was a barrister
07:46But my mother's father, he was a person of finance but he was a great writer
07:50He had a great taste of literature
07:53So art was ingrained in your life
07:57Yes, so my dadu what he did, he used to write a lot of stories
08:01And he used to tell me, you also write a small story and you come
08:05I mean both of us, we used to sit and we used to discuss the stories
08:09Which he has written and which I have written
08:12You know, and I miss him immensely today
08:15He is definitely not alive to see my, you know, whatever you call
08:20Whatever achievement I have done or whatever I am doing at the moment
08:24But it was he who actually started pushing me to write
08:30Because he understood that maybe it will happen for me
08:34He always wanted to write a book
08:36There were so many stories, everything that he kept on writing without any reason
08:41So one day I asked him, Dadu, why are you writing so much?
08:44He was retired
08:45Why are you writing so much?
08:46He used to work in a corporate house, so I asked him
08:48So he said, I am writing for myself
08:53I don't need to show the world
08:56I am writing to read these stories to my grandchildren
09:00So then I understood his love for the art
09:04So you went a step ahead, like you became a narrator
09:07After writing this thing, you became a narrator
09:10That's what people say, you know, that like Neeraj Kabi
09:14When I was narrating my next one to him
09:16So people say I am a very good narrator
09:18That's what people say, that I am, the way I narrate the scripts
09:21You know, they are unable to move and they just listen to me
09:26Yes, you may say that, that narration is a very big
09:30As I said that I started dramatics, I used to be on stage
09:33Narration is something which I enjoy
09:36Tell me one thing about yourself
09:39How difficult or how easy it is
09:42To work as a female film director in the industry
09:47I would say that, see
09:51You have heard about a lot of casting couch and all these things
09:54So how far it is true or to what extent?
09:58I have not faced a lot of people, I would say
10:00Because I did not have to face a lot of people
10:04I did not approach any producer for Putul
10:07Not much, no
10:09So called a biggie producer
10:11I would say that, see
10:13If you are to make a complaint like this, which we see
10:17My heart goes out to the women who face it
10:23Victims
10:24It is absolutely disheartening
10:26And women, I would say, we are always victimised
10:32Most of the time
10:35Because see, we are blamed unnecessarily
10:40At times when I started my work
10:42I want to share you an experience
10:43Okay, she is making short films
10:46How far will she go?
10:47This was the attitude of people
10:49You know, we have to prove ourselves extra
10:52It is easy to look down on us
10:55To gossip about us
10:57If we do something or tell something to someone
11:00Or we, you know, chase an actor
11:02Let's create a gossip that this person was chasing
11:04So I think that is the problem
11:07But I have not faced anything about Casting Couch
11:12Because I think I have maintained myself that way
11:16That I could not, I did not have to approach that much for work
11:21Because I work in my own pace
11:23I work with my own team
11:24And own set of people
11:26So thoughts on stepping into Bollywood?
11:29See, I do not categorise Tollywood or Bollywood
11:34It is an Indian film
11:37Because I have been, even my next film
11:40I am grateful to the Information Broadcasting Ministry
11:43And Mr. Shekhar Kapoor
11:45That he launched my next film
11:47They launched my next film at Festival Vikal
11:49I see films, Indian films as one
11:55I have, I do not have that bifurcation in my mind
11:59That, you know, it is a Bollywood film
12:02Because of Valor is a very special film
12:04Because it is a film based on the parents
12:08Of a soldier who was from Bengal
12:10He was a Bengali boy
12:12Who got martyred at the borders
12:15And, yeah, so
12:18I feel very happy that God gave me this opportunity
12:21It was a very difficult film to make
12:24Because it is a biopic
12:26And it is an RME film
12:28So a lot of research
12:30And a lot of work has gone in that
12:32And when you work with actors like
12:34Divya Dutta and Neeraj Kabi
12:36You need to know your work
12:38Or else because they are excellent actors to work with
12:42So as you mentioned these Bollywood stars
12:45Or as you said Indian stars
12:47So Indian films, vis-a-vis the foreign films
12:51On the global platform
12:52How do you explain that?
12:55I would say that
12:56See my focus at the moment
12:58If you see
12:59Because of Valor is also an international film
13:01Yes
13:02It is an international film
13:03My focus at the moment is to
13:05Reach a wider audience
13:07A world audience
13:08Like Puthul did excellent in America
13:10Hence it went to Oscars
13:12I did not know anybody in the academy
13:14That they will select my film
13:16No
13:17Puthul they are very good there
13:19So if you make a good film
13:21The language is not important
13:23The actor is not important
13:25The subject and the content is important
13:28Last but not the least
13:30Your next venture
13:34In the short term or in the long term?
13:37At the moment I am very busy with Ecos of Valor
13:40Because I just shot the film
13:42And the film just got announced and launched
13:45So a lot of work is left pending
13:47And after that of course
13:49I am looking to make another international film
