Kaalidhar Laapata was a part of your child-man bonding trilogy after I Want to Talk and Be Happy?
Yes, at one point, I was very inclined to do this kind of subject matter. So, you know, be it Ghoomar, then… Kaalidhar Laapata, Be Happy, I Want to Talk. So these films were all shot all together. And then after I finished shooting I Want to Talk is when I took on Housefull 5. But Housefull managed to be completed a lot faster. Kaalidhar Laapata is something that I shot in 2023.
Was It A Depressing Experience?
Actually, for me it’s always been a very sweet, slice-of-life, buddy road film kind of a… It’s a film which I hoped would put a smile on your face. That’s kind of what I liked about how Madhumita had written the script and then approached making the film. What I had liked was, you know, she’s saying some very important and nice things. Without hammering it. Without hammering it. Yeah, and she’s done it in a very light-hearted way. Right. And that light-heartedness is brought in by the character of Ballu, which is, you know, the kid actor. Beautifully played by a wonderful actor from Bhopal called Devik.
It is quite interesting, Abhishek, that you have done quite a few films with young actors.
Yeah, yeah, Inayat in Ludo. Yes, she was amazing. Phenomenal young actor. Then Be Happy, I Want to Talk, and now Kaalidhar Laapata. But it’s not like it’s a conscious decision, Subhash. No. What I’ve analysed is, I just think maybe that’s just… it was that phase of my life where maybe these kinds of stories were speaking to me. And the special thing about these films where you play, you work with younger actors, you don’t talk down to them. It’s like, you know, normal conversation. Because these kids are so well informed, you know. Yes, the kids today are far smarter than what we used to be. The kids today are very well informed. So, I don’t think they like to be mollycoddled. They don’t like to be mollycoddled. They want to be spoken to as equals. They have an opinion and, you know, they expect you to give them the respect of that. Yeah, so don’t patronise them.
And especially in this film (Kaalidhar Laapata), it’s not that?
In fact, the relationship between Kaalidhar and Ballu is that of friends. Madhumita’s very, very nicely and subtly brought in the dynamic of an adult and a child.
But you had a lot of scenes with that little girl who was also very wise and nurturing in I Want to Talk?
Yeah, that was obviously based on real-life characters. And that was the relationship that Arjun Da (Das) has with his daughter and always did. And I found that very unique. It’s also a very Bengali trait, you know, for the young girls to really mother their father. There are so many stories about these, you know. Exactly. So that was a wonderful relationship. I enjoyed doing that.
I know you did.
It’s nice when you’re not patronising the children. And that’s difficult to do. You know, most of us slip into that, you know, talking in a baby way and all that. But, you know, I also think we as actors and as filmmakers and storytellers have moved beyond that. Maybe I would say 20-odd years ago, that would have passed. I don’t think anybody’s really doing that anymore.
So What Made Kaalidhar Laapata Special?
It becomes very difficult to answer this question. And to ask questions about something and how you felt about something which happened at a separate point in time in your life. It’s very difficult to describe. You know, it’s like today I’m feeling very happy and upbeat and my mood is in a particular way. Tomorrow it might be different. The decisions I take today vis-à-vis my life or professionally will bear an impact tomorrow as well.
The story is something that needs to touch you and resonate with you. And this one did.
This is… the characterisations and the characters are incidental to me in that sense. Right. It’s icing on the cake that it’s a wonderful dynamic between a man and this young boy. And their friendship. And the fact that the boy ends up being almost like, you know, a moral compass to this adult. He has so much to tell, so much to give. He’s very wise, you know. So that dynamic is nice. But the story is basically about fulfilling, you know, your dreams that you haven’t managed to. And it’s never too late in your life to do that.
Right. That felt very nice.
And what I liked about it was, you know, Subhash, it was being told—the story was being told—about going out and, you know, the quintessential “go live your life the way you want. Enjoy it. Enjoy life while it lasts.”
I feel, at least in our country, that tends to be, sadly, a very elitist attitude.
Why Do You Say That?
Maybe possibly because that’s attributed to the fact that you can have the liberty and the freedom to do all this once your other responsibilities are taken care of. Which never ends.
The responsibilities never end. Your financial responsibilities. It becomes a very elitist thing.
And we very seldom see that attitude being played out in a particular strata of society, which is being portrayed in this film. So that made it that much more interesting that, you know, at that point of time and in that strata, it’s more about making ends meet and, you know, working hard. You’re so busy living life that you have no time to enjoy it.
So I thought that was very interesting that Madhumita wanted to say it like that.
And so that intrigued me.
What’s it like working with a female director? This is not a sexist question, but there is a difference of perception between a male and a female.
Is it different?
I’ve worked with several of them. I don’t look upon it any differently.
Right.
A director is a director. I don’t think their gender matters to me and nor does it show in their approach. I mean, they’re very in tune with the emotions of the script. So I’ve never, never noticed any difference.
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