EXCLUSIVE: Sujoy Ghosh reveals that he once wrote a letter to Satyajit Ray, asking for a job: “He replied, ‘I, myself, am looking for a job’”

The Bollywood Hungama India Entertainment Awards 2024 were held earlier this month, on October 3 and 4 in Mumbai and became one of the most talked about events of the year. Sujoy Ghosh won the award for Best Director for Jaane Jaan (2023). Starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma, it was one of the biggest hits for Netflix last year. Just before he grabbed the award, Sujoy spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about his debut OTT film and a lot more.

You have made films for theatres but Jaane Jaan released directly on Netflix. How was your experience? Jaane Jaan for me was a novel experience; it was new because we are born out of cinema. But the kind of reach the film had was astonishing. I didn’t expect it, honestly. It reached unexpected regions of the world. It’s not that I was flooded with the feedback or anything. But I did get messages from places like America; I had never got such feedback from there before. I have got fan letters which were handwritten!

Do you mean they wrote a letter, clicked a picture of it and sent it to you on social media? No. They wrote it and then posted it to my office. It was a nice surprise. The last handwritten letter I got was when I was going out with my girlfriend, who’s now my wife.

This is great because streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, etc. take your film to places. You do miss the big-screen experience. But at least, there’s less pressure, on the positive side. You don’t have to think of box office numbers. Of course, there’s some pressure; there’s a certain viewership which you do need to get. That’s fine. At the end of the day, it’s commerce, right? So yes, the pressure is there but not as blatant and it’s a good, fun experience.

Did you reply to the handwritten fan letter? I did. Before this episode, I had written a letter to one person, asking for a job. And he replied to me. That person was Satyajit Ray (smiles). At one point, I wanted to be a technician in his film. Hence, I asked him to offer me a job. He replied, ‘I, myself, am looking for a job’ (laughs)! I still have that letter. He further said, ‘I am a director. I am hand-for-hire myself. Unfortunately, I can’t help you’. It was so nice that he actually took the time to type out that letter. And he signed it. I have a signature of Satyajit Ray in English; it’s very rare! He used to usually sign in Bangla.

In which year did this fascinating episode take place? This happened in 1988.

Did you ever get a chance to meet him before his death in 1992? No, but I got a chance to meet his son, Sandip Ray. I also made Anukul, which is based on a story by Satyajit Ray. All of my films, in fact, have some Ray influence.

Satyajit Ray created the iconic detective character of Feluda. Many feel that you’ll be the ideal person to make a film or show on Feluda. The last time, I asked you about it, you said that you feared that if you got it wrong, fans of the character won’t spare you… Zinda latka denge (laughs). On a serious note, Feluda's stories were really amazing for us when we were growing up but that world doesn’t exist anymore. You have to rejig it, the way they did it with Sherlock Holmes on BBC. However, I don’t know if it’ll work.

You mean to say it should be set in the 1960s or 70s and not in the present day, right? Yes, and many other factors. Hence, one should take into account all those things or else, one should not make it.

Did you ever think about giving a limited release for Jaane Jaan, the way it was done for the Netflix original, The Irishman (2019)? After all, Jaane Jaan had a cinematic appeal… I haven’t really thought about it. But I guess a one-week release is done in cinemas for the Oscars. As per their guidelines, you need to have your film on the big screen for a certain time to be eligible. I remember I was enraged at how Roma (2018) got an Oscar nomination as it was a Netflix release. But then I was reminded that it did come in cinemas. I had to apologize!

I guess that’s the reason even All We Imagine As Light was released in limited theatres in Kerala so that it’s eligible to be seen as India’s entry to the Oscars… Exactly.

Have you seen the film? Yes. One of the producers, Zico Maitra, started his career with me. He was one of those people who we couldn’t pay during Kahaani(2012) and yet, he worked with me throughout the process.

I loved All We Imagine As Light and was moved by it. It’s a simple story and such tales are the hardest to tell. There’s no crutch – it has pure acting and emotion, just like Laapataa Ladies (2024). I fell in love with it. I called up Kiran Rao after watching the film. I wondered – how do they get scripts like this?

Some people feel that All We Imagine As Light should have been sent as India’s official entry to the Oscars and not Laapataa Ladies… I don’t know and you can’t argue with it. The Oscar jury has people from across the country. I would have liked it if All We Imagine As Light was the official selection as it's closer to my heart. But then Laapataa Ladies is such a lovely film too. It reeks of India and the mitti ki khushboo. And it’s also beautifully told. I get jealous when I see such films.

You made a lovely underrated show for Netflix, Typewriter (2019). I was impressed by the opening credits… I am glad you liked it. We worked so hard on that (smiles).

Will there be a season 2 of Typewriter? Monika Shergill (Netflix’s India content VP) is coming today. You should ask them this question.

Any more projects for Netflix? I am sure they must have reached out to you after the grand success of Jaane Jaan… I am a little tied down right now. After I am done with my current assignment, I’ll talk about it.

Also Read: Sujoy Ghosh reveals Taapsee Pannu’s role in initiating Badla: “The film actually happened because of Taapsee”

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