71st National Film Awards: ‘I Hope Win Helps Me Get A Few More Projects’ Says Director Arjunn Dutta – EXCLUSIVE

Director Arjunn Dutta is in the national capital to attend the 71st National Film Awards. His Deep Fridge has been adjudged Best Bengali Film. His fourth film, following Abyakto, Guldasta and Shrimati

– Deep Fridge is a complex relationship drama starring Abir Chatterjee and Tanushree Chakraborty. In an exclusive interaction with Zoom, Arjunn Dutta opened up on what National Awards means to him and whether it will have any lasting impact on his career.Talking to Zoom, Arjunn revealed that his tryst with world cinema came much later in life. Branding himself as a 90s kid who thrived o Bollywood, Dutta, whose complicated relationship drama has managed to sway the jury at the National Film Awards, added, “My upbringing is middle class. I'm still watching movies, still getting to know stuff because I got exposed to world cinema much later in life.”

However, the filmmaker did reveal that his love for cinema came from his grandmother.Also Read: 71st National Film Awards EXCL | Arjunn Dutta Dedicates Deep Fridge Win To Late Mother: Maa Must Have Pulled Some Strings From Above “My core inspiration is my grandmother. She was my constant companion during my secret escapades into the world of cinema. I have grown up in a place called Lake Town in Kolkata, where there were two iconic single screen theatres – Jaya and Mini Jaya and I have seen every B-grade, A-grade night shows over. My grandmother’s love for cinema trickled down to me. Apart from that I am a very 90s Bollywood kid. I have also been inspired by Rituda (Rituparno Ghosh), Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghosh, Satyajit Ray. From Western Cinema, Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman.On whether the National Award will have any special impact on his life and career, the filmmaker was more contemplative. Acknowledging the fact that the National Award would always be a “milestone in his life” since it is the “highest honour” in his country, he shared, “I do not know if the National Awards will really help me in my career. I do hope it helps me get a few more film. I really do not think I have created a masterpiece. It is a purely commercial film with many flaws. But as a filmmaker, I try to learn from them and I try not repeating them.”“I really don't know if it will open more doors for me. Does it? I don't know. It's always a gamble,” he signed off.Also Read: 71st National Film Awards: Piyush Thakur Says The First Film Was Born From His Grandparents’ Stories - EXCLUSIVEDutta’s next is a film called Bibi Payra which will see Swastika Mukherjee and Paoli Dam share the screen. He described his next project to be a mainstream commercial film with a very good storyline and message.