Kolkata never ceases to surprise: Kaushik

Kaushik Ganguly has just returned from Darjeeling after shooting with his cast in ���������Laptop���������. And he is extremely satisfied with his experience.
Says Kaushik, ���������There is a festive mood in the Hills. People out there looked a lot more happy after having cast their votes. But, I hardly saw any Bengali tourist there during my stay from April 18 to 25.���������
However, shooting had its own share of issues what with last-minute permissions not being granted for filming outside a bungalow. ���������It was a disaster. We had decided to return to Kolkata with our 70-member unit. On our way back, I saw a bungalow. I didn���������t even know the owner but still decided to walk inside. The owner, Ghanashyamji, heard me out and agreed to allow us to shoot on the premises. He didn���������t charge a single penny! We had made the sets of the interiors of the bungalow and matched it with the one for which we hadn���������t got the permission. Surprisingly, we found that the sets of this interior matched with the exteriors of Ghanashyamji���������s bungalow. Not a single other bungalow in Darjeeling had the same look though.���������
Meanwhile, Kaushik is excited about his new look in the film. ���������I am playing a visually challenged person in the film. I have been a student of the Ramakrishna Mission in Narendrapur. I have had the opportunity to closely interact with a friend of mine who was visually challenged. His name was Sukhomoy Mishra. I had appeared for the Madhyamik exams twice over since I had to be Sukhomoy���������s writer once. However, I have lost touch with him. I have also been deeply inspired by wife Churni���������s grandfather, Sadhan Gupta. He lost his sight when he was very young. But, he has been an MP and the advocate general of West Bengal. He also knows seven languages. At 94, he still practises at the Kolkata High Court. Having seen these two individuals have helped me to portray my character well.��������� Ask Kaushik about the choice of actors in his film now and he says, ���������I now want to work with those stars who are strictly good actors.���������
As a parting shot, Kaushik says, ���������Kolkata never ceases to surprise. A cop took Churni and my autograph when we went to cast our vote on Wednesday!���������