Of mysteries and beyond

Dipankar Sarkar

A black cat and a mysterious woman Miss Bellows show up at Mr Bond’s quaint cottage after he brings home an old broomstick from an antique shop. This sets the plot of Bhargav Saikia’s 20 minute spooky fantasy film The Black Cat (2017). The film, which is an adaptation of Ruskin Bond’s work, recently won the Best Cinematography award, had an honourable mention in the Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi category at the summer edition of Asians on Film Festival of Shorts, besides winning the Best Music award at McMinnville Short Film Festival. The film had an international premiere at FilmQuest and was nominated for Best Fantasy Short Film and Best Production Design. Excerpts from an interview with the 29-year-old Assamese director: 

What fascinated you to the genre of horror fantasy?

My mother was a film buff. She introduced me to some notable children’s films of the 1990s, the most memorable being Mani Ratnam’s Anjali. My interest in reading too fuelled my fascination for the supernatural. When I went to England to pursue higher studies, I discovered phenomenal European cinema in fantasy. I wanted to work in this genre. My films Awakenings and The Black Cat are a step towards this dream.

Tell us about the narrative structure of The Black Cat?

I tried to retain the essence of Ruskin Bond’s original story, which is told in a simple, linear way. To make it cinematically engaging, I divided the narrative into chapters and treated it like an illustrated storybook. The idea was to make the narrative playful and appealing for both children as well as adults.

How was the experience of working with Ruskin Bond? 

Collaborating with the legendary author was like a dream come true. He was pleasantly surprised to know that I wanted to adapt The Black Cat into a film. He asked me if I would adapt the story into an animation since cats are known to be stubborn. Unlike dogs, it is tough to train them to perform in front of a camera. However, he gave me complete freedom to use the story according to my sensibilities. 

What were the references for your characters?

For the character of Miss Bellows portrayed by Shernaz Patel, we referred to the Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston) from The Witches (1990) and Witch (Meryl Streep) from Into the Woods (2014). Professor Umbridge’s theme from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) served as a major aural reference to developing the eccentric body language of Miss Bellows. Tom Alter was a natural choice for Mr Bond’s character as he was a close friend of Ruskin Bond, and hailing from Mussoorie, he could easily relate to the backdrop.

Are films released online able to make profits?

I have definitely managed to get a dedicated audience on the internet with Kaafiron Ki Namaaz, which I made in 2013, and more recently with The Black Cat. Both the films have stood out because they are unique in their own way. Of course, I would want to see my next film, which will be my feature directorial debut, get a proper theatrical release.