Venice 2021 (video): ‘Once upon a time in Calcutta’ writer-director Aditya Vikram Sengupta: “I wanted to explore the city through people and their mindsets”

‘ONCE UPON A TIME IN CALCUTTA’ is a film that had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival recently.
Our correspondent Tatiana Rosenstein was in Venice and spoke to writer-director Aditya Vikram Sengupta about the film and its themes.
It centres around a woman – Ela (Sreelekha Mitra) – whose life is in a form of freefall. She is an unhappy marriage, her career as an actor has failed and she wants to move out of the city and to a newer part of Calcutta.
The film explores these personal themes amidst the changes happening within the city and it plays a significant part in the narrative.
Sengupta talks about this, the international production behind the film – with a French and Norwegian producer, and well-known Turkish Director of Photography, Gökhan Tiryaki, who is best known for his work with auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
‘Once upon a time in Calcutta’ screened in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section of the festival on September 7 2021.

A Big Talent Media production for http://www.asianculturevulture.com

Presenter: Tatiana Rosenstein

Editing: Natalie Barrass

See also our interview with Bengali star actor Sreelekha Mitra who plays the main protagonist, Ela in this film… coming

Our Venice Film Festival wrap…coming

Our interview with British-Pakistani writer-director Seemab Gul whose film, Mulaqat (Sandstorm) also had its world premiere in Venice…coming