Boomerang Tollywood superstar Jeet is set to return to big screens with Boomerang, a sci-fi comedy film co-starring Rukmini Maitra in the co-lead. Ahead of the film's release on June 7, IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh interacts with Jeet on the film...
Q. Your last two films were action-oriented. Was it a conscious approach to opt for a comedy film like Boomerang?
A. Yes, yes. It's true that my last 2-3 films were larger-than-life dwelling in the dark space, action and the underworld. Though Boomerang also has the larger-than-life feel but its core is not the action or criminal world or the underworld or dark space. Boomerang is a very bright, vibrant, colourful film with a lot of entertainment. Before Boomerang came my way, I thought I was doing a similar type of film. So I asked Sauvik Kundu, the film director, to look for a light-hearted, comedy space for me. As a result, Sauvik watched the play (Punaray Rubi Ray) and reached out to me. I quite liked the cinematic version of the play when I read the script. I was searching for something new.
Q. Since Boomerang is not the hardcore action-oriented film, were you extra cautious so that it doesn't miss the chance to cater to the wide audience?
A. The approach is the same in all films. We visualise a film upon reading a script. We as a maker with the help of the director visualised certain things. He visualised how to add ornaments, heroes and the entire setup look larger-than-life. There is always a scope to think broadly and put wings to the thoughts when a play- that is restricted to a stage- is shot on a film set. We tried to add certain elements that can't be shown in a play. The spaces for individual characters have also been expanded.
Q. How did you maintain your heroic image and the intelligence of a scientist in the film?
A. The first support comes from the writing. It becomes easier to portray if all aspects are covered in the script. The writing of Boomerang was very clear so it was not a very tough task for me to pull off. I enjoyed doing this. I was craving for a light, comedy film for quite some time. Boomerang is a combination of intelligence and humour. I really relished the entire thing.
Q. How do you see the impact of AI in the film industry?
A. It will be beneficial. Definitely, it will coexist and occupy a huge space. The manpower has already started shrinking and more space is given to AI. But certain elements like emotion can only be generated by humans and not AI. Whatever one shares with the robot remains mechanical.
Q. How was it shown in the film?
A. The film is basically more of a comedy of error. We haven't talked much about souls in the film, honestly. The existence of emotion in humans and not in robots have not been explored.
Q. You have always backed mainstream, commercial cinema. Over the last few months, we have seen the remote revival of such films. Do you see the right direction?
A. The mainstream, commercial cinema were, is and will be the drivers of the industry. This is a fact. The industry needs to keep trying to do such films. I am not that knowledgeable to say whether the industry is moving towards the right direction but attempts need to be made. We have to keep trying and wait for the result. We never know which film will connect with the audience.
Photo courtesy: IBNS File
Q. Recently, Chiranjit Chakraborty told IBNS that there is a lack of cinema halls for Bengali films to work. How do you see this?
A. It is correct. We need to improve our infrastructure and bring investment for it. It is a fact that the number of halls has decreased significantly and it is one of the major reasons for commercial films not working. If the number of halls increases, we will have more space for exhibition of films.
Q. How tough is it for producers like you to back mainstream, commercial films?
A. It is getting tougher. The best scenario would be where we are able to cut through across mass and class. Not just mine, we have seen various films that have worked and appealed to the audience in all spheres. Media too has a role. They need an affirmative and positive approach towards mainstream films. We used to keep hearing that mainstream, commercial directors are often shown with less significance in spite of knowing that the industry will shrink in size if there is no mainstream commercial cinema. There will be a point of time when the industry size will be very small if mainstream films are not being made. Nobody would like to be in that scenario.
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