Production Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

1 production

1.1 development
1.2 casting
1.3 filming

production
development

aparna sen, noted actress , director of bengali cinema, made debut director english film 36 chowringhee lane (1981). mr. , mrs. iyer second film in english. hoped write simple romantic story, shaped out relationship drama in backdrop of sectarian violence. sen came background of story in aftermath of 9/11 , 2002 gujarat riots. in interview, sen stated omnipresent, circumstantial violence in film serve strain in script aimed show how relationship evolves between 2 people forced under trying times. stated time frame of film set after attacks on parliament of india on 13 december 2001.

in interview @ screening @ locarno film festival, sen revealed konkona involved in pre-production research, , suggested title. cinematographer gautam ghose, aparna sen said had rapport , ghose, himself acclaimed director, 1 of best cinematographers knew. ghose, in reply, said hoped give best film , contribute friendship.

casting

rahul bose s work in english, august (1994) , split wide open (1999) made aparna sen feel good, controlled , intelligent actor. after costume , makeup test, chosen character of raja chawdhury. sen admitted bose s work mark, , working him wonderful experience. told in interview konkona sen sharma s abilities sensitive actress fetched role of meenakshi iyer. konkona said chose film interested in indian films made in english, , reluctant regular commercial films. sen had penned elderly muslim woman s character bearing surekha sikri in mind. sikri , author , playwright bhisham sahni cast play roles of muslim couple in film. santhanam, infant son of meenakshi iyer in film sen s grand niece.

aparna sen chose english film s narrative since characters linguistically diverse. had make sure characters spoke in english regional accent. konkona admitted in interview playing role of tamil brahmin did not come easy. director forced visit chennai (where major language tamil) 2 weeks research character. said had learned many characteristics, nuances , mannerisms native tamilian housewives. took close @ iyer lifestyles , customs in , around mylapore, cultural hub in chennai. attempted listening recorded conversations in iyer households suitable tamil accent.

filming

the production commenced in december 2001. sen chose keep geographical setting unstated because felt journey take place anywhere. film shot in himalayan foothills of northern west bengal. producers provided state-of-the-art camera chennai s prasad studios ensure shooting crew technically better equipped. rupali mehta, triplecom productions, co-producer oversaw crew of on 100 complete production schedule in 50 days. production team resorted cost-cutting measures ensure committed fewer mistakes. example, had organised workshop actors avoid mistakes while filming.

while filming in jalpaiguri, sen got embroiled in controversy damages caused forest bungalow, heritage property, portion of filming done. admitted that, give bungalow haunted look, ... sprayed slush on walls , plastered cobwebs on place. however, claimed place cleaned after completion of shoot.