“My wish is that I will do the camera work and Ishaan will direct the movie,” said Goutam Ghose at the press conference of Jhilli at the 27^th Kolkata International Film Festival.

Jhilli is director Ishaan Ghose’s debut feature film. Ishaan is the son of eminent director Goutam Ghose, who has also produced the film.

Before making Jhilli, the director started working as a cinematographer in 2011. He started shooting documentaries, feature films, and advertising work. he has worked in films like Shankhachil and Raaghir.

The director initially was making a film on rag pickers for an NGO but that got shelved mid-way. It was then that he was introduced to their world and that motivated him to shoot this film.

The film is about Bokul who is a fourth-generation manual labor worker. He is in his early twenties and works in a factory in the middle of Kolkata’s largest dump yard. He is oblivious of his struggles and makes the best of his life. Unknowing to him, the world outside is gradually changing. His world is being traded for a recreational park. What happens next?

The producer of the film is Goutam Ghose. “I really liked the film not because it has been made by my son. Ishaan has tried to find a new language in this film. His style of filmmaking is similar to that of some European directors. They continue to shoot the film at the same location and show the changes happening in the place. Ishaan has also done the same for the film. He has shown the changes happening to the dump yard”.

The screenplay, cinematography, and editing are by Ishaan Ghose.

The music has been composed by Soumajit Ghosh and Rajarshi Das.

The cast of the film consists of Aranya Gupta (Bokul), Bitan Biswas (Ganesh), Shombhunath De (Shombhu), Sourav Nayak (Chompa), and Sayandeep Guha (Guddu).

The duration of the film is 93 minutes.

Video link of the event- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggrpkIbO9Rs

Priyanka Dutta