Let’s not get confined to GENDER orbit, talk about the world nobody knows better than us, WOMEN: Director Pritha Chakraborty on Women's Day 2020

The journey from her hometown Ranaghat to Kolkata has been pretty much exciting and enriching. Pritha Chakraborty, the small town girl, who took up editing at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute after completing Mass Communication from Xavier’s made her debut as a feature film director in 2019 with ‘Mukherjee Dar Bou’. It’s been one year of the film’s release which became a massive hit celebrating womanhood.On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we caught up with the young director, who will soon get married to her long-time friend, for an exclusive interview and it turned out to be a no-hold barred adda on a wide range of topics like her filmmaking journey, how things have changed now, the future of woman filmmakers in India, her next film and many more. Here are the excerpts:


It still gives me goosebumps when I remember the days ahead of Mukherjee Dar Bou release. It still feels surreal. The way audience showered their love it was amazing. Yes, things have changed. Now, it has become a lot easier to discuss projects with producers. Now, I don’t have to wait for long. I am ever indebt to each and everyone who has been by our side in this journey.

I grew up in a distant suburb of Kolkata, precisely, in a district township. My social ambiance, since my childhood, had been very close-knit, full of life and buzzing with emotional energy. One would feel there the inadequacy of resources, facilities and entitled amenities – communication, medical or educational. Yet, community found possible solutions to (in spite of potential conflicts) joy and harmony. I found, curiously, this as a philosophical approach to life- full of simplicity and incredible beauty. The way of life was immersive and organic, which always used to sensitize me.
Also, my parents were deeply into the culture of music. Music has been the finer text used to motivate me a lot to churn out diverse emotions. Hence, I seamlessly used to search for right expressions to articulate my emotion, joy and experiences. I was not sure about becoming a filmmaker. After leaving school, I chose Mass Communications as my subject of undergraduate studies at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. I got stimulated by the power of motion picture narrative. I recognized that, finally, cinema would be an answer to my questions on life and expressions of my voice. I joined SRFTI as a postgraduate student specializing in Editing, where the teaching was insistently focused on the holistic understanding storytelling.


I always think about my responsibility when I think of expressing myself or addressing my audience. I would love to explore a thousand times, with innumerable layers, issues those are embodied in my work. I don't think that I have found the unique truth that others are not aware of as a filmmaker. I may not be the right voice to represent the majority or even the minority. I am not sure how much my voice rationally raises a legitimate question or drives the viewers to clues of answers!
I look at sensitive assessment of situations and my own emotional responses particular to the content that I am dealing with. At the end of the day Cinema is a tool that allows me to talk freely about the way I see the world. It may not work with the viewers. I just expect my formal body of expression is capable of providing a refreshing insight. I only try to make it engaging and inviting for the audience. I often confront this question – am I valid the way I observe and interpret? Not a happy dynamics. Hence before I propose myself as a filmmaker, I nurture myself as an individual whose comments are transpired to be reflexive and substantial.

I really think discourses emerging from films made by women filmmakers need to be discussed widely. A greater level of critical dialogue is definitely missing. There have been many women filmmakers in Indian Documentary section who have been doing inspiring works.
I don't feel that as a woman filmmaker, I go through unusual obstacles from external forces. Being a woman, our experiences are different. Being a child, our experiences are different. Being an adult, our experiences are different.
As an individual, our experiences, anguish and bliss are very different from each other in a given time and space. Grater question is – are we ready to intervene with objectivity, serenity and compassion to evaluate such fallacies from a larger perspective for a corrective influence? This is the biggest challenge. We know, historically, there has been an extreme level of oppression women are subject to. Though I may not have gone through such things. Even theses disparities are widespread and specific to gender, economic, class, religion, skin color, presence of body and caste. I found so many souls injured for all the colossus aberrations.
As a filmmaker, I only believe in touching upon the truth to sensitize others. Of course, I need to see this complex level of discrepancies factoring all pre-givens, compulsions, general psychological continuity and societal practices. Here I possibly outstep my gender identity for a truthful examination and share with others my own take.


Individuals will have their own observation and take. I simply would suggest, to magistrate our existence realistically and that let’s not get confined to our gender orbit. At the same time, we women feel, internalize, gauge and respond to many situations in our own unique ways. Hence, we see the world deeper and better. Let’s talk about the world that nobody knows better than us.

On a personal front, thamma (grandmother) has been a huge inspiration to me. She is 92 now and still I look for her feedback. I have seen closely being a working lady how she managed everything. I am blessed to have her in my life. I also enjoy Zoya Akhtar and Meghna Gulzar’s works.
Among the contemporary filmmakers from world cinema I like Greta Garwig’s films, especially her first film ‘Lady Bird’. Again her philosophy is quite simple yet deep along with terrific characterization. It feels as an audience I know flesh and soul of each character and none of them are black and white. Complex human emotion has always been my favourite thing to explore.
I should also mention Nandita di’s (Nandita Roy) name. She is such a wonderful woman to be around and I have learnt a lot from her.

Ambar and I have been friends for the past seven years and the relationship took a romantic angle two years ago. His aesthetic sense is something I have admired for years and also he is very practical yet honest. I often look for his feedback. He has been so supportive. Also, I must mention my team as well. I have a close-knit team who has been a big support to me. It’s a fact without them I couldn’t have achieved all these. They are like backbone to me.

For me, feminism is ensuring that my voice reaches to people and that I have equal intellectual rights and opportunities.

I have already drafted the script. It will again be a relationship tale. Dealing with stories on relationships comes naturally to me.