'Prosenjit skipped meals to perfect Jaatiswar look'

Recalling how Prosenjit Chatterjee was amazed to do voice-recording for second time for some scenes in 'Baishe Srabon', a good six-seven weeks after the film's successful run at the box office, director Srijit Mukherjee says the superstar went into a shell while shooting for Jaatiswar.
"I am very fussy about details. Even if a gasp seems to be out of place in a frame, I go on and on unless it is corrected and Bumbada (Prosenjit) knows that," Srijit told PTI here.
"I liked the way he requested me one October morning for re-doing voice-over in some parts of Jaatiswar and we were through in early afternoon. When Srijit is struck with something, he will get it done," Prosenjit said approvingly.

"Actually it is like the first show of a stageplay. Once that gets over, you want to correct certain scenes, work with certain movements and may be dialogues. In short you try to improve on the play, and you have subsequent shows to fall back on," Srijit said.
"Since that is not possible in films I have devised a way. If I feel like changing or re-doing some parts even after release in theatres, I don't refrain. I do that for DVDs and festival cuts (for releasing in film festivals)," he said.
Srijit, who would, however, rate Jaatiswar as the best among his films since debut Autograph days, said it was a juxtaposition of two ages, two separate voyages.

"Jaatiswar directly talks about re-birth and is borne out of my urge to narrate a story, and it is a layered and complex narrative," he said.

The 'Hemlock Society' maker recalled how Prosenjit took a gap of three weeks to prepare himelf for the role and cropped his hair in an odd manner and skipped meals to perfect the look of a 'marginalised' person.
"To bring out that vulnerability, he even forbade the entry of his bouncers to the set and was strangely silent in between shots," the 'Mishawr Rawhosyo' maker said.
Coming to the film's music, Srijit called it a 'milestone' with the ecletic mix of modern Bengali songs, Spanish folk tunes, as well as the old age Bengali folks and kawalis.

"From hunting the treasure trove of historians and researchers to sourcing the references from archives and libraries Kabir Suman (director of music), Indradeep Dasgupta and me, we tried to encompass as much as possible," he said.
"There is a trace or reference in our DNA chromosome to what our great great grandparents used to do. It comes down to our passion, hobies and vocation in some way or the other. This could be one reason for me taking up Jaatiswar," he said.