Produced by Kefi Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, and presented by Akansha Manglani, director Abhishek Chowdhury’s ‘Tikiland’ is a futuristic fantasy satire that shows a society affected by extreme social media influences. The film deals with a futuristic virus called FOMO, which embed the fear of missing out in peoples’ mind. The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta caught up with the director and one of the lead cast members of the film, actor Devtanu in an exclusive chat. Excerpts..

How did you come up with the idea of Tikiland?

Abhishek Chowdhury- While editing a film, we were a bit bored. To get rid of the boredom, we started watching a short Korean film. It is then that we got the idea that why do not start a film on a similar topic. There was an app where people used to make cringy videos. Let’s call the app T. So we thought we should make a video on those video creators.

The Bengali film industry faces the problem of finance. So what challenges did you face while making such a futuristic film?

Abhishek Chowdhury- The biggest challenge was producing the thing that we thought in our minds on the screen. For that, we needed a cast who would understand what we were trying to make. During the shoot, we shot at places that no one would connect with Kolkata now. Then the post-production work, we did the VFX one day. And then we did not like it and so we changed it again.

Devtanu- I have to thank the producer for being patient with us and also tolerating all our tantrums. The entire team consists of new artists and technicians. Our producer was very helpful and she just asked us to make a great film worth watching.

You wrote the script for a small film. And now this has become a full-length film. How did you adjust to the changes?

Devtanu- Well, the story has remained the same. Only the scale of making the film has gone up after Kefi Media became the producer of the film. We could achieve the production value of a film that could be shown to the national or international audience. Had this been an independent film, the scale of the film would not have been so high.

What role are you playing in Tikiland?

Devtanu- I play the role of a struggling actor named Saptak. How he survives in this FOMO-affected world is what the story is all about.

Can you share any memorable or funny incidents that you would like to share with the audience?

Abhishek Chowdhury- There is a place in Rajarhat where the content creators of T-app go and make videos. I had earlier gone there to shoot music videos. But my team was new to this experience. When they saw how the artists were creating the videos, they were spellbound and amazed. This is a memorable and funny incident for me.

Why did you name the film Tikiland?

Abhishek Chowdhury- This is inspired by the name Zombieland.

Are you affected by the virus FOMO?

Devtanu- We are affected in a small way. We do not check our phones every ten minutes to see how many likes the picture has received or the number of comments on the picture. Social media do not govern our lives. Instead, we use social media for reaching out to the audience and letting them know about our works.

You have waited for some time to release this film. Now that is releasing, what are your expectations?

Abhishek Chowdhury- Firstly, I wanted to see the film. You see there is a positive vibe when you make a film. I have tried to make films that will be liked by the audience. Maybe the film will not be a super hit film, but it will also not be something very bad. So I am hopeful that people will like this film and relate to it.

Wishing the entire team of Tikiland all the best!!