Just a little more than four years ago, the coronavirus pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill. People across the globe met with unprecedented losses. The gruesome memory of the pandemic is still raw in our minds. Filmmaker Aarti S Bagdi captured the trying moments of the days of the Lockdown in her film, Chalti Rahe Zindagi. In a chat with OTTplay, Indraneil Sengupta talks about the relevance of the film after so many years, the debut of his daughter Meira, and how he looks back to those days when he was not separated from his wife, Barkha Bisht. 

Indraneil Sengupta on Chalti Rahe Zindagi 

Talking about the inception of the film, Indraneil said that the offer came from the director who was their neighbour. “Aarti Bagdi used to live in the same society where Barkha and I lived. It was her idea. Ours was the first-schedule shoot and it took place under a lot of restrictions. It was peak Pandemic time. Dharmendra Bhurji – the DOP – used to live in the same building. It was just him and us while we shot our scenes. There were a lot of restrictions. In fact, there were restrictions on people entering other buildings. Eventually, as the shooting progressed, a lot of restrictions were relaxed,” he said.  

'Chalti Rahe Zindagi is still relevance'

It has been more than four years. Will the film still be relevant? According to Indraneil, nothing can remove the memories of the Pandemic from this generation. “Covid 19 was a huge incident and every single one faced setbacks. It was probably the biggest incident in our generation. No matter what, no one will ever forget 9/11, and no one will forget the years of the Pandemic.

Moreover, Chalti Rahe Zindagi is also a story of human relations. The relationship drama is eternal. It has a universal appeal. The film will always be relevant,” he said. 

Indraneil Sengupta on the time he spent with Barkha Bisht during the shooting 

The film features Indraneil’s estranged wife Barkha Bisht and their daughter Meira. A lot has changed since then. Indraneil and Barkha chose to separate. “It was shot during the time when we were together. Of course, the film reminds me of the time we spent together but I am an actor and I play a character in the film. Our relationship is not relevant in the film. As an actor I play my part and not get affected by it,” he said. 

Meira, their daughter, also plays a part. “In a way, it is her debut,” Indraneil said with a smile. “There was a need for a child actor and there was no option of casting anyone at that peak of the pandemic. Hence, Meira chipped in. She has no plan to be an actor. She is too small to plan her career,” he added. 

Indraneil’s performance in Zee5 series Broken News season 2 was liked by viewers and critics alike. He has started working on a Bengali film. “There are a few projects in the pipeline but nothing has been finalised. Hence, we can’t talk about them,” he signed off. 

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