Phoring and Lattu's adolescent journey

Child actors Sourav Basak and Akash Adhikary on films, friendship, the known and the unknown.
On screen and off it, they are the best of friends. But that does not stop Akash Adhikary and Sourav Basak ��� Phoring and Lattu, respectively, in Indranil Roy Chowdhury���s debut venture, Phoring ��� from fighting with each other. A CT chat:
Do you know the storyline of Phoring?
Akash Adhikary:Jani na toh! I haven���t seen the film yet.But Kobikaku (Indranil) had told me that it���s a story about Phoring and his teacher Doel (Sohini Sarkar). Phoring was very bad in studies and only Doel ma���am could understand him. Sourav Basak: The film is about a teacher and a student. Lattu, my character, was Phoring���s best friend and we are so in real life too.
Both of you are facing the camera for the first time, so how was the experience like?
AA: Fantastic! No studies for so many days and I realized that���s the best part of acting in a film ��� pora shona korte hoy na. We had lots of addawith Sohinidi on the sets but she can���t play cricket. SB: I want to act in films more often; then I won���t have to do maths or study history every day. It was like a picnic on the sets. Good food, vacation, playing... so much of fun. We used to tease Sohinidi as she was not very good at cycling.
How difficult was acting?
AA: Not at all. For the dukkho dukkho scenes I would think I���m completely blank inside, and tears would well up automatically. Whatever Kobikaku used to say, I followed blindly.
SB: I can laugh or cry anytime, if Kobikakutells me. I still remember how he scolded me because I had a hair cut and he had to cancel the shoot for a few days.
There is a masturbation scene and a shot where you both smell a panty in the film. Do you think your friends may tease you for these scenes?
AA: What is masturbation scene? I don���t know. I asked Kobikaku why should I be smelling a panty, but he insisted. So, I did it. I know friends will tease me now.
SB: I repeatedly told Kobikaku to delete these adult scenes as my elder uncle will beat me up for this. Ki hobe akhon? I am sure my teachers will be angry.
Do you have female fans now?
AA: Durr! I am hundred miles away from girls. Sourav has loads. Yesterday only a girl called her...
SB : (Cuts in) Don���t lie, shut up, she studies with me in the same coaching class. (Both start fighting)
As is shown in the film, do you like any of your ma���ams in school?
AA: In my school there are hardly any ma���ams as we have sirs teaching us.
SB: Our ma���ams are all 50-plus. (laughs)
Who is your favourite actor in Tollywood?
AA: Prosenjit Chatterjee.
SB:Mithun Chakraborty.
And among the actresses?
AA: Subhashree and Sonakshi Sinha
SB:Puja and Sonakshi Sinha
With your pictures and interviews coming out in the papers, how does it feel?
AA: Sourav was crying because his photo didn���t come out in one of the papers after the press conference of Phoring(laughs).
SB: (Punches Akash) You talk too much! Actually Phoringaka Akash has become a celebrity now.
Director Indranil Roy Chowdhury on his little stars
AkashAdhikary as Phoring:
Phoring is the story of how a kid who finds it very difficult to make himself acceptable to the larger world finds his way through love and understanding. We zeroed in on Akash for the lead role because of the unfathomable innocence in his eyes. He didn���t understand a lot of the scenes he was part of. And I didn���t want to burden him with that knowledge as it would have made him self-conscious. For the scene where he wakes up in the morning, having ejaculated in his dream, we told him that he had peed in his pants in his sleep. He looked at me for a second and then went ahead and did it. For another scene, when he was supposed to smell a panty, we deliberately shot the scene after 10 pm as I had noticed that Akash can���t stay awake after 9 pm. So, when we shot the scene he was half asleep. Akash was more engrossed in the picnic-like atmosphere of the unit. The shooting was like a god-gifted holiday for him.
Sourav Basak as Lattu
Sourav is a prankster and Lattu���s role was just perfect for him. He is a picture of that overreactive and enthusiastic 14-year-old who lands himself in trouble by trying to outsmart others. He is a strange mix of a child and an adult. Sourav is far more comfortable with his emerging sexual identity and enjoyed doing his scenes which were prohibited in his real life and I could sense that he found that liberating. But then there were huge surprises for him when he came for the dubbing. There was a scene in the film when Lattu buys an MMS clip from the local hajmiwallah. The actual shot of the girl on the cell phone screen was added later. He got the shock of his life when he saw the shot during dubbing. He told me: ���Kobikaku, this is cheating!��� Now that film is over, he is basking in attention he is receiving every day. However, deep down he is extremely scared as to how his own family would react when they watch the film. And as far as the so-called ���adult scenes��� go, he plans to pass on the blame to the director!