Actress Amrita Chattopadhyay is gearing up for the release of her film A Holy Conspiracy. This is her first hall release after the global pandemic. The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta caught up with the actress in an exclusive chat about the film. Excerpts..

How did you bag the role in this film?

Amrita Chattopadhyay- I was called by Saibal da and he told me about this role. I listened to the story and I agreed to do the film. I wanted to work with him for quite some time now. And hence when he offered me a role, I immediately said yes to it.

Tell us about your character in A Holy Conspiracy.

Amrita Chattopadhyay– I play the role of Reshmi in the film. She is the daughter of the church janitor.  Reshmi teaches at the small-town school. She participates in the various events of the church. Her fiancé is Kunal Joseph who is a science professor. Kunal did not want to teach The Genesis of the Bible before teaching science. However, it is an unwritten rule to teach Genesis. He declines as it is beyond his jurisdiction. The management suspends him. Communal tension begins in Hillolganj and Kunal is jailed for offending the Christians of this area.

Kunal’s trial starts in Hillolganj court. Two reputed lawyers — Reverend Basant Kumar Chatterjee and Anthon D’Souza — contest in favor and against Kunal.

Reshmi understands that her father was one of the people who went against Kunal. She is confused at first. She is torn between her father and her fiancé. However, by the time the film ends, she takes a stand.

You worked with veteran actors in this film. How was the experience?

Amrita Chattopadhyay- I had worked with Kaushik Sen before. I worked for the first time with Anashua Majumdar. We even shared the same make-up room. I had great conversations with her during the shoot of the film.

And what can I say about the acting giants (late) Soumitra Chatterjee and Naseeruddin Shah? They are such acting legends and we all look up to them. But when they came to the floors, they did not show any attitude. They did not make us feel uncomfortable. Hence I did not have any problems during the shoot despite shooting with such great actors.

Moreover, Soumitra Chatterjee was not well during the shoot. He could only shoot for four hours daily. However, within that short time, he was so professional.

You worked for the first time with Naseeruddin Shah. What did you learn from him?

Amrita Chattopadhyay- He is very cooperative and did not show any attitude. He even gave cues that very few actors give. He also rehearsed with the other actors. And he was so well prepared for the role when he came to the sets. These qualities show his professionalism and that is something to learn for sure.

Why did you agree to do this role?

Amrita Chattopadhyay- I wanted to work with Saibal Mitra for a long time. I have been a fan of his classical style of filmmaking. Be it Shajarur Kanta or Chitrokar, I have watched all his films. An interesting thing is I have been a part of the part of Shajarur Kanta story made for the television and digital platform.

I don’t know which director in today’s time does storyboard. He does that and that helps so much during the shoot of the film. Soumitra Chatterjee was unwell and could only shoot for four hours. However, the director made use of the four hours and did not even tire the actor.

The story is an adaptation of the novel Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee. However, he made the film contemporary for audiences in 2022. To do that is a very hard task. However after the trailer was released, many people in Bangladesh felt that this was made with reference to an event that happened in Bangladesh. But that was not the case.

Apart from this, the story, acting with such great actors was the icing on the cake.

I can finally tick off some items from my bucket list.

And after this film releases, I will like to work with him again.

What are your upcoming releases?

Amrita Chattopadhyay- Chabiwala, Rohoshyomoy (co-starring Saswata Chatterjee), and a series by Soumyajit Adak are the next releases.

This is your first theatrical release after the global pandemic. What are your expectations from the film?

Amrita Chattopadhyay- The audience showed their interest and eagerness from the initial stages of the film. We received good feedback after the trailer was released. I know that a certain section of society is looking forward to the film. I want the same reaction when the film releases this Friday.

A Holy Conspiracy releases on 29^th July.