Meeting Aviraj: Swapan Saha’s new find

Your first film, Ei Prithibi Tomar Aamar, releases this Friday. How do you feel?

I am very excited. I had worked in television for a bit, but this is so much more. Plus, it is a performance-oriented film. I’ve tried hard to give a good performance. I am a little tense about how audiences will respond.

Tell us something about the character you play.

I play a character called Shibnath who is a ferrywala. A simple, trustful young man, he gets tangled up with the underworld. Sharing his plight is Poornima (played by Priyanka), an orphan. Shibnath and Poornima see themselves mirrored in each other – their honesty, their innocence, their tragedy. They cling to each other without even realising they are in love.

How was it sharing screen space with Priyanka?

I had worked with her earlier. But by the time Ei Prithibi Tomar Aamar released, she was already a known name in the Bengali film industry following Chirodin E’s success. I was apprehensive that success might have changed her. But as it turned out, it was great working with Priyanka.

What was Swapan Saha the director like?

He guided me a great deal while giving a lot of freedom. He seemed to be of our generation... there was no generation gap at all.

Is it true that an acting workshop was conducted before shooting began?

Yes. It’s not something that happens in most Bengali films, and you hardly expect a Swapan Saha film to require an acting workshop. But Ei Prithibi Tomar Aamar is a film where performances matter. The workshop really helped me get under the skin of Shibnath.

A Swapan Saha film usually revels in stereotypes. Is this true of Ei Prithibi Tomar Aamar?

Not quite. This is a different kind of Swapan Saha film. There are no big stars. It’s the story of an orphaned young pair, played by newcomers. It’s a story of the soil; a story of sufferings that regular people can relate to.

You’ve also been roped in for Parambrata Chatterjee’s directorial debut Jiyo Kaka. Can you tell us something about it?

Jiyo Kaka is a different kind of film. Parambrata is working really hard on it. It’s a comedy revolving around three young men struggling to make it big in the world of films.

What lies ahead?

I’m just concentrating on becoming a good actor for the time being.


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