Q. You have worked in both Bengali and Hindi projects. What made Ghun Gaon a project you wanted to take up?

Aninditaa: The most different thing about Ghun Gaon is its story, and that is the main USP. Then there are different factors, like the place where we shot, how the DOP captured the story, its actors, supporting actors and other things. But the main hero of this film is its story, I must say. That is why I closed my eyes and agreed to the project when Soumya narrated the story to me.

Q. Why did you feel it was different when you heard the story for the first time?

Ranojoy: I have never heard a story like this before. I did not know that there could be a film like this in the world. I was also very surprised.

The main reason why I think people will be surprised when they see a film like this is that people will realise there’s something going on in this world that we’re not even aware of. Moreover, my character here is very new to me, and I like to explore myself in a new way. This is the main reason why I did this film.

Q. From the trailer, your character seems to be a wildlife photographer. Can you say something about it?

Aninditaa: A story has many shades, but my character Shanaya is black and white. Shanaya is a person who, if she sees something wrong, will protest. She is very gutsy. She wants to explore things that others might not.

On this note, Shanaya and Rishi’s (Ranojoy’s character) characters go through some conflicting situations. Shanaya is so passionate about her work that she will not think about anything and just get it done.
I would say that Soumya has written this character beautifully, and through Shanaya, we’ll see how different shades of the story come together.

Q. How does Rishi complement Shanaya in this film?

Ranojoy: My character Rishi is fond of Shanaya. He is her support system and he loves her a lot. Rishi’s life is nothing less than his love for Shanaya.
The friendship between Rishi and Shanaya is very strong. So eventually, they fall in love and get married. They both were enjoying their life, and that is where the story begins.

Q. Have you ever worked in a dark thriller before, and how do you like this genre personally?

Aninditaa: No, this is the first time for me and I love this genre. It is so intellectual and the subject becomes so cerebral that, as a normal person, we cannot take our head in that direction.
When I hear or see such stories, or when I get a chance to do them, it creates a lot of excitement.

Ranojoy: I have worked in a dark thriller before, but it’s not yet released, and I too love this genre. There are a lot of films that I love. In fact, I cannot name one or two.

Orphan might be one, and there’s another film called Obsession that is like a dark thriller. I cannot name just one.

Q. How is Ghun Gaon different from other Bengali films, for you?

Aninditaa: It is a story that people have not seen before. The subject that this film talks about, in a very underlying, subtle way, is something that people have not seen before.
People might literally go home and Google it and educate themselves about what the story is about. I feel it’s going to be a conversation starter.

Ranojoy: I think if people see this film, they’ll like it and there is a huge possibility that it will be a game changer. People might think of making a different kind of film and working on a different subject.
It takes a lot of courage. From day one, I’m saying that the courage that Soumya has shown is really commendable. Usually, we want to stay in our comfort zone and do the work. But when we leave it, we face a lot of challenges. Maybe that is why we didn’t include anything in the trailer.

Q. Is it challenging for you to promote a film where you can’t really tell anything about it?

Aninditaa: Definitely, it’s a bit challenging as an actor. But I feel from this, people will feel intrigued about the film and they’ll visit the theatres out of curiosity.
The way Soumya has made the trailer, people can’t even think of the story, and once they watch it, they’ll be in awe after knowing the story.

Q. Sunidhi Chauhan sang a song in this film. What made you think of her for the song?

Soumya Roy Choudhury (Director): No, I didn’t. I won’t take the credit. The entire credit goes to the music director, Debashis Ganguly.

After he composed the song, we were thinking about who would sing such a beautiful song. Tunai da (music composer) then said that only one person could do justice to this song and it would be Sunidhi Chauhan.

I thought he was bluffing when I heard that because it’s not possible in any way. But he said he’d try. So, he alone reached her, and Sunidhi Chauhan liked his composition and everything after that.

Q. How did you come up with such an experimental plot as your directorial commercial film debut?

Soumya: No, the thing is, it’s very easy to experiment with in the first film. Once a place is created in the future, it becomes difficult to get out of the circle. There is an expectation of making a particular kind of film.

But people don’t have any expectations from me yet. So, I can experiment in any way, if someone backs me up.

I was determined to make a commercial film where I would try to bring some new genre of thriller. My main wish was to introduce some other genre of thriller, other than being conventional.

As I did that, the story got bigger and a chapter was created, then I got an idea of doing a universe.

Q. The shooting was done outdoors. Did you actually have a wildlife encounter?

Aninditaa: Yes, it happened, though it wasn’t with us exactly. But I’ve heard that our team had some experience of seeing a black leopard. So, as a team, everyone experienced it.

But otherwise, I think we shot in such a beautiful location, and Tuhin captured the scenes so beautifully. I was mesmerised by the beauty of that place. It’s an overall good experience.

Ranojoy: Yes, wildlife encounters indeed happened, though the location hasn’t been discovered by people yet, I think.

Q. For you, is working in Bollywood and Tollywood similar in terms of characters or scripts?

Aninditaa: Yes, for me, a character is a character. In Bollywood, it’s a little different, where people like to see me in vulnerable characters.
In this industry, I have always played the characters of strong, independent women. But apart from that, I think it’s the same.

Q. Why is it that you’re rarely seen on the big screen compared to television?

Ranojoy: Yes, because I mostly work in independent films, which screen at festivals. One of the reasons is time. As I work in television, I can’t always manage my time, and when there’s a big team involved, it happens to be a big factor.

Another reason is the characters that I get in these films. I really enjoy them. Whether it’s Raas or Taranga, or my upcoming film Ustad or this film, I really enjoy doing characters like these, which is very important for me.

Q. Ghun Gaon was initially planned in Hindi. Who would you want to cast?

Soumya: In every language, I would call them. My answer would be the same every time. I don’t think now that it’s happening in Bengali, we need to think of anything else.
This should be so good that people of other languages would also watch it, like we do with other vernacular films.

Q. What would you like to say to the audience?

Ranojoy: Come to the hall and experience this film because some films are made for a theatrical experience. If people watch it on mobile or on television, they’ll never have that fun. Some films are made for the hall.

Soumya: I would like to say that when the credits roll and it’s expected to be over, don’t leave. Don’t think that the film is over. As I’m a Marvel fan, expect something more from the story.

Aninditaa: When people watch this film, they’ll have a thousand questions in their mind. By the end of the film, they’ll get all the answers. But still, it’ll have a cliffhanger for the audience to feel engaged.

So, if people want to experience something different, they should go to the theatres and watch this film. They’ll definitely have a journey.