‘Been going in the right direction, in terms of work’
Mrinal Dutt is pretty satisfied with how his career has shaped up so far, and the chances he’s got to work with directors such as Pradeep Sarkar (Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala) and Arati Kadav (known for directing Cargo). And he wouldn’t have it any other way, even if typical mainstream films are missing in his filmography.
“I think all this has been partially conscious, and I manifested it for myself, too. To work with the right kind of people who are making good stuff, even if on a small scale… there are then more chances of getting a better project. Everybody wants to do a big commercial film, but somewhere, I would want to work with these people. In hindsight, I realise there was no barrier with me,” he says.
The actor goes on to add, “Fortunately, I’ve been going in the right direction, in terms of work. The aim has always been to work with better people. I got the chance to work with Raja Menon on Upstarts,
Pradeep Sarkar, and then Pawan & Pooja, a show by Sidharth P Malhotra.”
Dutt’s recent release was a short film, 55km/sec, which was directed by Kadav, and co-starred actor Richa Chadha. He reveals it was an “absolute experimental project.” “Arati and I both had been wanting to do something for a while. We would have eventually in life, a little later, with planning. Then, the lockdown happened. We used this opportunity to create something virtually. The place where I was staying became the film’s location,” he adds.
The entire film was shot by the actors themselves on their smartphones. “Nobody had the option of travelling then, so we used to chat and realised we could do something on our phones, make a story and weave it around where I am, using whatever I have in hand. We showed the location on video call, and eventually did it. So pretty much nobody met nobody during its making. It was an absolutely experimental phone shot film,” shares Dutt.