SVF Films

Dhananjoy cast speaks on their respective characters

Calcutta Times (TOI): Arindam Sil’s next film, Dhananjoy, is based on one of the most gruesome cases in the history of the nation -the murder of 14-year-old Hetal Parekh in 1990 and the subsequent hanging of Dhananjoy Chatterjee for it in 2004. On the basis of circumstantial evidence and the victim’s mother’s statement, Dhananjoy was executed and hanged after serving a 14-year jail sentence. The court observed it as one of the rarest of rare cases. In the film, a young advocate, Kavya Sinha (Mimi Chakraborty), reopens the investigation a few years after Dhananjoy is hanged. After much effort, she manages to bring a new dimension to the Hema Parekh (Anusha Viswanathan) murder case that hints towards a possibility that Dhananjoy (Anirban Bhattacharya) might not have been behind the crime. CT speaks to the film’s cast about their characters. Excerpts…

Anirban Bhattacharya as Dhananjoy:
I divided the process of getting into the character of Dhananjoy into two parts -external and internal. The external one included a physiological recce, for which I went to Bankura along with Arindamda to meet Dhananjoy’s family .I went to the prison cell where Dhananjoy was kept and even visited the place where he was hanged! The internal part of preparation is something that can’t be explained. Arindamda provided me with all the research work he had done to make the film and that was my reference point. It’s a very challenging role, as no one really knows what a person goes through when he is facing death. Playing this role was mentally taxing. I remember telling Arindamda once during the shoot, `This costume of Dhananjoy is a mental pressure and it’s killing me from inside.’ Arindamda never gave me any tips as to how he wanted me to portray the character, but our mentalities do match, so I guess I could live up to his expectation.

Anusha Viswanathan as Hema Parekh:
We couldn’t gather a lot of details about Hetal, on whom Hema’s character is based. But we got to know she was a jolly and lively girl who held her ground. So, Hema is a sparkling girl who gets annoyed by her over-protective mom at times. Arindam uncle advised me to not think about the tragedy that struck Hetal’s life while playing the character, as it would take away from her bubbly nature.

Sudiptaa Chakraborty as Surabhi Parekh:
I play the character of Hetal’s mother. The only information the directorial team got about her from their neighbours was that she was physically strong and extremely orthodox. So, Arindamda asked me to gain some weight in order to fit into the role. I will play a mother who is angry , orthodox, scolds her daughter for anything and everything! In one word, she is dominating.

Arjaa Banerjee as Chandra Chatterjee:
Arindamda took us to Bankura to meet Dhananjoy’s family but we didn’t get to meet his wife, Purnima, as she leads a secluded life in the village. I play Dhananjoy’s wife and the film shows two stages of my life. First revolves around my character as a lovey-dovey wife and the other shows my life after Dhananjoy’s hanging.Chandra is a typical village girl -submissive, poor and timid. The film shows Chandra’s journey from a loving wife to a mentally unstable widow.

Paran Bandhopadhay as Sashi Chatterjee:

The Bankura visit helped me do my homework to play Sashi Chatterjee, Dhananjoy’s father -a socially weak man who is broken after his son’s loss but doesn’t have the power or money to protest. Sashi, an ardent worshipper of Ma Kali, loses faith in god after his son’s death. The tragic incident makes him realise that perhaps Ma Kali helps only the rich and affluent.

Mimi Chakraborty as Kavya Sinha:

I prefer listening to the script time and again than attending workshops. Arindamda did that at least five times to help me get into the character. After that he asked me to jot down some points based on my perception of Kavya, since it is a fictional character. Kavya is a lot like me, so it was not very difficult to get into the character. She is strong, independent, speaks her mind and fears no one.

Kaushik Sen as Shibraj Choudhury:

Since it is a fictitious character, my homework was based on the documents that Arindam gave me.Also, I spent an entire day in the High Court just to get a feel of the court room and observe the lawyers. Shibraj -Kavya’s senior -is flamboyant, supremely confident and thinks he’s the best in whatever he does. He is initially reluctant to take up the case when approached by Kavya. But he later agrees to pursue it. In the process, he realises that there were many pertinent questions that should have been asked while investigating Dhananjoy’s case.

Mir Afsar Ali as advocate Ghosh:

He is Dhananjoy’s lawyer in the lower court. He was going great guns with the case but somehow lost the pace towards the end. I guess this man would have made a difference to the case if Dhananjoy’s family was more persistent and had the required money and power. Arindamda wanted me to sport a totally different look for this role. So, right from my hairstyle to the body language, what you will see in the film is Mr Ghosh and not Mir. Arindamda wanted Advocate Ghosh to be deadpan serious, but it the end, he serves some tongue-incheek humour.