Dipankar De, Mamata Shankar are institutions, says Bijoyar Pore director Abhijit Das

First-time filmmaker Abhijit Das has finished shooting his upcoming film Bijoyar Pore.

Starring Mamata Shankar, Dipankar De, Swastika Mukherjee and Mir Afsar Ali, the film revolves around a fragmented family in the backdrop of the concluding days of Durga Puja.

As a first-time filmmaker, Das was initially nervous; however, he found the cast to be extremely cooperative on the sets. “First, I would like to speak about Mamata Shankar. The way she moulded herself for her character, overcoming her recent physical illness, is truly commendable,” said the radio jockey-turned-director. He also expressed his gratitude to everyone for making his job easier, including the artistes Rwitobroto Mukherjee, Bidipta Chakraborty and Kheya Chattopadhyay and writer Padmanabha Dasgupta.

Das further stated that Mir would be seen in a completely different avatar. “During the shoot, he was extremely serious. However, the rest of the time, he would be entertaining all of us on the set, in his usual jovial mood," Das said.

According to the director, both Shankar and De are nothing short of institutions. “To patiently listen to Dipankar Da and Momo Di (Shankar), understand their inputs and implement them was a learning process in itself,” he said. “It also gave me immense confidence when despite being such tall artistes, they asked for my feedback every moment and they were always open for discussion.”

Shooting in winter was a unique experience for the team and the weather made the hectic schedule bearable for all. “Another big takeaway was having Mamata Shankar choreograph a dance sequence on her own. She stayed up till late in the chilly weather, helped Swastika Di rehearse the choreography and then completed the schedule,” said Das, who is hoping for the film to be released in April.