Love Story has already been made in so many versions in so many languages over the years. What was your motivation? And why not an original love story from Bengali literature or from an original script?
My debut was with an action commercial, my second was a children’s adventure. When the third film was planned, I wanted to do a romantic film and what better subject than the greatest of them all. A classic never loses its charm. I plotted it in 2008 and I have tried to treat it as stylishly as I could, given the resources available. Love is my tribute to all the people in love. You say that the story has been done in so many languages…. There must be a method in that.
Yes, I could have taken a story from a Bengali literature but I wanted to pay a tribute to the book that has made people believe in love for ages and still continue to do.

This is your first love story. Does this mean you are trying to explore your own potential as a director with versatility?
I believe that to be a good director one needs to be versatile with ideas and concepts. I don’t want to see myself being labelled as an ‘action’ director or a ‘romcom’ director. If a subject appeals to me and if it has enough meat to become a screenplay for a film, I want to cook it. I chose the interesting combination of Jisshu Sengupta and Koel Mullick to play the doomed lovers because of their looks, freshness, talent and of course, their faith in the script and in me.

What role does music play in your film?
Jeet Ganguly has done the songs and I think in recent times, this has been among his finest compositions. I am very confident about the music. I needed new voices and Jeet gave us Dibyendu Mukherjee, Saptak Bhattacharya and Monali Thakur. I have designed the background score and tried to keep the essence of the great Lai theme.

What made you weave this film into an out-and-out romantic tragedy?
I don’t see any such thing in the film. It is about two people in love, truly there for each other even when times are tough and the odds are tougher. It shows that the greatest thing in a relationship is not money, power, sex or compromises - it is just love. If that exists between two, they can win happiness.

How would you define yourself as a director?
I am an ‘instinct maverick’ when it comes to shoots. I go on the floors with a bound script. My actors do workshops before we hit the floor. During the shoots, the tempo of the scene enacted is very critical for me. The scene flow is very important. Actors do improvise. They show me options and if they sound good, I lap them up without losing a moment. Since I write and edit my films too, I know what picture is finally going to take shape. My actors keep a sketch and they add colour to it. It works great. You will see how good Jisshu and Koel are in Love.

Where did you shoot the film and how long did it take from paper to a screen preview?
Love was shot in Kalimpong and in Kolkata. We wrapped it in exactly 21 days. Pre-production was for 20 days. The editing took 15 days. Dubbing, scoring, mixing and Dolby took 15 days. That’s it. You will see how lavishly it has been shot. Kanchenjunga is at its best. Kalimpong is looking like the kingdom of God. We shot the film in just 45 lakh rupees.

Don’t you find it difficult to tackle direction and cinematography at the same time? Or are they complementary and actually help each other in designing and mapping the final product?
I find it easier because as I am shooting, I am mapping the film and because I edit it too, it makes my task much easier. The statement I am trying to make through this film is this - a story without love is not worth telling. A life without love is not worth living