Aneek Chaudhuri: Working with Pawan Chopra has been a learning experience

Kolkata filmmaker Aneek Chaudhuri has recently completed the shooting of his Hindi feature film starring Bollywood actor Pawan Chopra. Usha Banerjee who was last seen in Aneek’s award-winning film 'Jharokh' plays the female lead in this experimental film. The shoot mostly took place in Kolkata earlier in February this year.
The film titled ‘The Tale Of A Santa And His Moth’ revolves around the equation between a single father and his ill daughter; the tale of a Santa and his Moth comments on the war that goes inside the body of an ill person and relates it to the war that goes around us.In simpler terms, the film makes a statement of peace. The widower father was once married to an Anglo-Indian lady and later discovered his parallel sexuality (homosexual). While Pawan Chopra is playing the father, Usha Banerjee is playing her sick daughter.
When asked whether this film sees war and peace from a different perspective Aneek explains, “As per me, war comes out of ego and ego comes out of fear and insecurity. The weaker people opt for methods to hide their weaklings; the stronger ones go for lesser violent forms to exert their opinions. Exerting authority too is a hypothesis. I shall prefer peace through my art forms than spreading hatred."
Pawan Chopra, known for films like ‘Shershah’, ‘Saand ki Aankh’, ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ and the popular series ‘Family Man’, collaborated with Aneek for the first time. The young director describes it to be a “learning and enjoyable experience”.
Aneek further adds, “Pawanji and I had earlier met only on virtual platforms, and the film’s shoot was our first physical meet. We had similar tastes in Cinema and had fondness for each others’ works. It was always in the cards for such a collaboration. More importantly, he is a dear person and a director’s actor”.
Speaking about the female lead in his film Aneek shares, “Usha and I were involved since the beginning and it’s a very emotional belonging to us. She had performed really well and as a whole, her thorough support was indeed helpful.”

‘The Tale Of A Santa And His Moth’ aims to premiere at international film festivals and then, the director intends to make it available for public viewing.