Talking 'Cholo Potol Tuli' with Arindam

On making a film version of Cholo Potol Tuli

I've been thinking of doing this for a long time. The producer too watched the play first before suggesting a film version. Cholo Potol Tuli has proved a very popular play. And it's been a while since Bengali cinema has seen a full-length comedy.

The theme of the film

The basic theme is that we've become self-centred. But one can't survive this way. Cholo Potol Tuli is all about learning to live with everyone else.

Changes to the original format

The skeleton of the story is the same. But there have been several changes. For instance, the play is set in the backdrop of the '60s. But in the film, the setting is more contemporary.

Moreover, on stage, dialogues are essentially a little loud. We had to adapt these to make them suitable for a film. As a result, there is almost an entirely new script keeping in mind the film pattern.

Stage comedy vis-à-vis film comedy

The measurement for comedy on stage is distinct from that for films. On stage, comedy tends to be a little forced. But I didn't want it that way. In the play Cholo Potol Tuli, the dialogues carried it forward. That's true of the film too, but here the dialogues are also supported by visuals. Since this is a movie, we were able to carry the story to different locations. That may not have been possible on stage because the stage has its own limitations.

Changes in the cast

Yes, the cast has changed completely, barring one or two characters.  My wife Kheyali Dastidar is doing the same role as in the play. So is Sabyasachi Chakraborty. Apart from them, there are several well-known faces – Kharaj Mukherjee, Paran Bandopadhyay, Tanima Sen, Kanchan Mullick, Biswajit Chakraborty. There are three new actors as well – Debraj, Pamela and Sampurna. We've tried to use veterans and add freshness through new faces.

Sabyasachi the comedian

After this film, Sabyasachi will certainly get more and more comic roles. In the film, he has a completely different get-up, complete with a Charlie Chaplin moustache. And he's a very good comedian.

Box office expectations

Everyone hopes their films will be hits. I am no different. But yes, Cholo Potol Tuli certainly has a different flavour. Not just in terms of storyline and characters, but even with regard to music.

Importance of music in the film

Music does play a role in the film. I've composed the music, and there are songs sung by Shaan and Javed Ali. The flavour is in keeping with the mood of Bengali films from yesteryear. There is a theme song featuring all the characters. There is a romantic song. There are comic songs for the comic moments. There is also a serious song by Javed. The song talks about how we all lived together once, went visiting relatives – how all that is now lost. It is the only serious song in the film.

The current movie scene

These days most movies are imitations. There are remakes of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu movies. It's all a jogakhichuri (hotchpotch). They can be entertaining but nothing more. And there are the "other" films that win prizes but don't leave you with anything. So, there are these two extremes. I want to make films which entertain and touch you. Why, there was a time when Bengali films were the ones being imitated.

The road ahead

This is just the beginning. And when you have a first film which is a remake of a play as successful as Cholo Potol Tuli, the initial publicity is already done. It is a stepping stone to bigger things. I'm just starting out, but it's my dream to return to the golden age of Bengali cinema – to the kind of movies you could watch with your whole family, to films that reflect the Bengali mentality through their scripts, music and characters.


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