Shoojit Sircar won the Best Director award for Sardar Udham at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) in 2022. Two years later, he returned to the festival as a jury member for the short film competition. His upcoming production, The Umesh Chronicles, starring Babil Khan and featuring Amitabh Bachchan in a cameo, was also screened at the ongoing IFFM. This project marks Shoojit’s fifth collaboration with Big B after Shoebite, Piku, Pink, and Gulabo Sitabo.
Talking about The Umesh Chronicles, the filmmaker exclusively tells News18 Showsha, “It’s a beautiful film we wanted to collaborate on with Jakob Ihre, who shot my first film, Yahaan. He has done the photography for projects like Chernobyl and Spaceman, which are world-class productions. We were elated to go back and collaborate on this very beautiful and simple film that’s all about nostalgia, growing up in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.”
This project marks Shoojit’s first time working with Babil, and it’s well known that he shared a deep friendship with Babil’s father, Irrfan Khan. Reportedly, Irrfan even opted out of Ridley Scott’s The Martian to fulfill his commitment to Shoojit. The late actor was also the first choice for Sardar Udham. Naturally, Shoojit was “very happy” when Babil came aboard The Umesh Chronicles.
“I’ve almost become his parent. I know his mom is doing all the parenting duties, but I keep telling him to keep his feet on the ground. Irrfan was so close to me, especially during his last days. That’s why I feel very possessive about Babil. That connection is there,” the October and Vicky Donor director remarks.
Children of actors often bear the brunt of relentless comparisons with their parents, and Shoojit agrees. Discussing how Babil has faced this, he says, “I know these comparisons bring a lot of pressure on the young boy. He has a really long way to go. He’s just started his career. Irrfan had 30-35 years of experience in front of the camera. In his initial years, Babil got so much attention, which could have been harmful and become a hindrance. But Sutapa (Sikdar) has taken the lead in making sure that he stays grounded. I’ve seen that.”
While Shoojit doesn’t want to compare them, he points out one commonality between father and son. “Irrfan created his own legacy through his films, and Babil has seen how he used to prepare for his roles. One very beautiful thing I’ve noticed in Babil is that he has adopted his father’s method of preparation. Having said that, he may develop his own process going forward, which is also great. All I want to say is that I’ve seen how important preparation is for Babil – just as it was for his father,” he concludes.
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