Filmmaker-actor Anjan Dutt's web series Seven, which stars Suprobhat Das, Rahul Banerjee, Gaurav Chakrabarty, Ridhima Ghosh and Ankita Chakraborty in the lead, is waiting for its Mar 17 release. IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh catches up with Dutt on the Zee5 series, thrillers and more. Excerpts...

Q. All your co-actors are praising you for your acting self more than your filmmaker self. How do you feel about it?

A. It's very natural because I have been working for a long time. They find my actor self more interesting. My actor self asks me to rope in actors who would contribute to the project. I always look for inputs from my actors. I give that freedom to my artists.

Q. Were you aware of the fact that onscreen five friends are actually close in real life?

A. No, I was not aware of it. If a film is about friendship, offscreen bonding really works. It turned out to be an advantage for me.

Q. How would you categorise Seven? Is it a complete thriller?

A. With the gradual transformations of films over decades, it is not possible to classify works into genres. Thrillers can have romance or a romantic film may have some murders. Seven is not a thriller though it seems like that. It is the story of human complexities and their evolution.

Q. Do you find it easier to explore psychological exploration of characters on OTT than in films?

A. Not necessary. I feel the most important aspect of OTT is the writing part. Cinema is about filmmaking and makers. One doesn't need a very good writer to make a film but OTT demands powerful writing.

Q. Do you think the thriller genre is getting overexploited?

A. Yes because the genre is not being allowed to grow. The constant tension and dark atmosphere of thrillers will reach a saturation level at one point of time. Actually a market-driven industry tends to repeat works. Many filmmakers are getting compelled to make detective films as they are offering revenues.

Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. Do you think writing is becoming weak in Bengali films?

A. Absolutely. Mainstream films mostly depend on good quality writing. There is a dearth of good writers. Writers are the lowest paid. Unless writers are good, filmmakers won't be able to keep the industry surviving.

Q. Do you feel filmmakers direct a film better if they work on their own written story?

A. No, not necessary. Direction and writing are two different aspects. It's an advantage for a director who can also write. It would be a mess if all directors now start writing stories.

Q. You are on a working spree with Suprobhat Das!

A. An actor-director connection is huge. It's a combination. Soumitra Chatterjee had worked in most films of Satyajit Ray. It's about which combination works.

Q. Do you feel the regular changing of faces of franchises affecting the brand itself?

A. Absolutely. It's absurd! A franchise's face can't change at regular intervals. It doesn't work like that. Some are working in that because they are unaware of how a franchise works.

Q. What is money to you?

A. Money is essential for life but troublesome. Seven is about this issue only.

(Photography: Avishek Mitra/IBNS)