Aparajita Ghosh: I really cherish the love I received in Bangladesh

Indian actor Aparajita Ghosh is passing busy days with her recent work that includes an upcoming film 'X=Prem,' directed by popular West Bengal director Srijit Mukherjee. 

In her career, which has spanned over a decade, Aparajita has established herself as one of the talented actors in the Kolkata Film industry. So far, she has acted in numerous TV dramas, films and web series. 

She is often praised for her versatile characters and acting skills. Aparajita has also recently acted in a Hindi sci-fi short film 'Retribution,' and another Hindi film 'Green Window.' She also acted in a couple of other shorts in English titled, 'The Watched Women,' and 'Daddy's little Girl.'

She also played the role of Dr Reema Banerjee in the Hoichoi series 'Murder in the Hills' created by Anjan Dutt. 

Besides acting regularly, the actor turned director, Aparajita made a short film last year amid the Covid-19 lockdown. 

In 2019, the self-made actor visited Dhaka with her first feature length film 'Mystic Memoir', which was screened at the Dhaka International Film Festival. The film featured Bangladeshi actor Zulhaj Zubair in a principal role. 

Aparajita's first directorial venture was a documentary film titled 'Dance of Joy' and it won the 'Best Researched' award at Indus Valley Film Festival last year and Best Musical film in Kinoduel Festival in Russia in 2018. Aparajita wants to continue directing and telling stories about the different aspects of life. 

In a conversation with The Business Standard, Aparajita revealed how she turned to direction, her acting methods and desire to work in the Bangladeshi film industry. 

The Business Standard (TBS): You have recently worked with directors such as Anjan Dutt and Srijit Mukherjee. Tell us a bit about those films and how excited you were to be working with them.

Aparajita Ghosh: I have worked with Anjan Dutt before in 'Hemanta'. Working with Anjan uncle in Murder in the Hills was a very different experience. I have played the role of an honest doctor in the series and I was very excited when I heard about it. I hope the audience will like the series as much as we enjoyed making it. Working with Anjan Dutt is always a pleasure because he is an institution and you can learn a lot from him. 

And about Srijit Da - we live in the same neighborhood and have known each other for quite some time now but I had never worked with him before. 'X-Prem' is my first work with him. Srijit Da thought of me for this particular character and I gave my hundred percent to portray the interesting role. 

I had to work hard for both characters and both the directors of such high caliber appreciated my work, which is a blessing for me. Everybody wants to work with these directors and I look forward to working with them more in the near future. I want my audience to be the judge and tell me whether they liked or disliked my portrayal of the characters.  

Tell us briefly how your career as an actor began. 

Aparajita: It just happened. Nobody believes that this is an unexpected journey. When I was a student at Bardhaman University, my friends suggested that I audition for radio. I did so and got through. Consequently, I became a radio show host. It was fun and I was enjoying it. And of course, I was earning extra pocket money. Co-incidentally, one day, Doordarshan TV called me and asked to host a TV show but I never thought of taking it up as my career. 

In the back of my mind, I always knew that I would be a teacher or something. But yes, I always had an immense interest in production; not that I wanted to be a director right away but I wanted to learn about the production process. With that goal in mind, I moved to Kolkata and worked at a production company for a year where I learned a lot. 

Around the same time, my course of action changed completely. I was getting offers to act in TVCs and host TV shows. Then I got offers to act in TV mega serials from such creative minded people that I couldn't resist any of it. And just like that, I became an actor. 

I am so fortunate that I worked with people who taught me everything from scratch and in detail. I knew nothing about acting. Just because I worked in radio and was into recitation from childhood, my pronunciation and dialogue delivery became a little easier. My dance lessons helped me learn expression. However, never in my wildest imagination did I think that I would become an actor. 

I am very grateful to all the directors I have worked with so far. And my co-artists also helped me develop myself as an artist. I am still learning and it still feels very surreal to me. 

'Mystic Memoir' was your second directorial venture and first feature film.  At what point did you feel like making films yourself?

Aparajita: As I have already said, I always wanted to be on the production side, but also got involved in acting. I always wanted to learn about the technical aspects of any production. When I made the documentary 'Dance of Joy', I did not have to prepare as much as I would have to for a feature film, but it was a learning process for me. It boosted my confidence. It was a tribute to my motherland Shantiniketon. 

'Mystic Memoir' was my method of telling a story. As an actor, there are some instructions and an actor always has to follow the director or storyteller. This was a story which I wanted to tell. And I want to explore different formats and ways of storytelling. It is not possible to bring variation in terms of subject or content, which is more or less the same. It is all about the storytelling patterns and forms. 

I had to overcome many obstacles to make the film or become a director. I could finally make the film with the help of many people, whom I am very thankful to. It is a process of constant support I got from my colleagues. If I want to tell a story again, I will hopefully make a film.

What is more difficult - acting or directing? 

Aparajita: To me, directing is more difficult. Actors usually have a zone and one specific area of focused responsibility. An actor only has to be focused on their performance while a director has to take care of every single aspect on set and every single person of the shooting unit. 

Usually, an actor is always pampered. So when you have to take care of everybody else, it is not so easy. 

Making a film is a lengthy and huge process up until the final print. Sometimes you just want to give up. Directing is very difficult but it is also worth it. The journey is phenomenal. 

What are the challenges you faced as a director?

Aparajita: Getting funds was the biggest challenge. First question I faced was about who the stars of the film were. Unfortunately, it is a content driven film, not star-driven film. I never could collect the required amount of funds we needed for the film. I spent money from my pockets, crowdfunded and engaged in a lot of collaborative work that helped me make the film. It was not an easy task to convince people to produce the film. 

And, of course, as a female director, I had to face challenges until I could prove myself. There were other common factors which every director faces while making films. Fortunately, I have received huge support from both Indian and Bangladeshi media and it did not discriminate despite me not being a star kid. They have shown immense interest in my work and the amount of love and support I received from my audience is just insane. I do not think I could ask for anything else in my life.  

I strongly believe audiences always want to watch good content. As a director, I have received a lot of love from my Bangladeshi audience. I am overwhelmed by their support and love. I really cherish the love I received in Bangladesh. 

How do you prepare yourself for any character after reading the script?

Aparajita: Preparing for a character is fun but it is also different for film and TV. For TV, once you get used to the character, you can deliver the performance quickly. Then again, you have to switch to a different character pretty fast as well. It is like an on/off switch. Adapting a character for film is more subtle and requires more attention. Firstly, the director briefs us on how to portray the character. Dialogue pattern is also very important and every actor has their own analysis as well.

What I do usually is I isolate myself to adapt to a character within myself. I do not completely believe in method acting, however, I take help from books, music and even dance forms while in isolation trying to prepare myself for any character. 

You are back on television with 'Pandob Goyenda' after six long years. How does it feel to be back on the small screen?

Aparajita: It definitely feels great. The show ran for eight months. Since it was a series for children, it was a great experience. The love from children is very pure and interesting. Now, children reach out to me through social media platforms after 'Pandob Goyenda'. Social media networks have helped me connect with my young audience. I am really happy about it. 

Do you have any specific character in mind you would like to play in films or on the small screen?

Aparajita: Not really. But surprisingly, I have been wanting to be in action movies lately, where there will be a lot of fighting. I also do not mind being in a commercial film. These are my recent thoughts. In general, I want to play complex characters which require a lot of homework and practice to portray the characters. 

Your film 'Mystic Memoir' was screened and praised in Dhaka, and you visited Bangladesh as well. Will you work in Bangladesh in the future if you get the chance? 

Aparajita: Of course. There is no doubt about it. I just cannot wait. As a matter of fact, I was supposed to start working on a Bangladeshi production which got postponed for the ongoing pandemic. I sincerely want to work in Bangladesh. I want love from Bangladesh and I cannot wait to go there again, travel and eat a lot. 

I miss Dhaka vibes and the film festival. Bangladesh is very close to my heart and I miss this country at the moment. I love Dhaka very much. I am so humbled with the love and hospitality I received from Bangladesh.