'Ship of Theseus' filmmaker sails through Kolkata

The Ship of Theseus filmmaker roamed around the lanes of north Kolkata, revelling in the spirit of Independence Day
As Anand Gandhi picked up the second-version of Utankita Sanskrit Vidya Aranya Epigraphs from a roadside stall at College Street, we knew that the Ship of Theseus filmmaker was here to make the most of his brief stay in the city. As he wandered along the bylanes of Kolkata, CT decided to join him on his mission.
In town for ‘Behind the seen’, an initiative to reinvent the known and explore the unknown, Anand said, “We used to have a street like this in Mumbai, but not anymore. I wish I could spend the entire day here.” Though it was a tough task pulling him away from the array of books lined up on the street, a mention of Bengali sweets did the trick. But not before he grabbed a coconut cooler to ward off the heat. “I have heard a lot about the sweets here. My trip here would be incomplete unless I savour some,” he shared.
The next stop, Girish Chandra Dey & Nakur Chandra Nandy, saw Anand try all the sweets on the racks — right from traditional sandesh to fusion white and dark chocolate ones. “Heavenly”, “out of the world”, was all he could utter. The filmmaker couldn’t believe his ears when he was told to pay only 100. “I think I should shift base to Kolkata!” he mused.
His trip to Kumartuli, however, brought out the artist in Anand. From seeking permission to shoot there to enquiring about money, he also asked if he could spray paint an idol — going all out to indulge the director in him. So, can we expect another masterpiece from Anand which would be set in Kolkata? Well, fingers crossed!