Tollywood director begins hunt for local actors

GANGTOK, 11 Jan: Aspiring actors of the state have received a chance to be part of a Bengali film slated to be shot entirely in Sikkim. “Every Day is Sunday”, a Tollywood film will be casting 99 percent of its acting crew from Sikkim and the movie will be shot exclusively in locations across Sikkim.
The film is being directed by Suvendu Ghosh (Raj) who has already made five films including ‘Konkal’, a 2-minute film which will be competing for the prestigious National Awards in the short film category this year, while his last venture was ‘Chetona’.
“We chose Sikkim as the location keeping in view the beautiful people here and the natural setting. The film will be shot 100 percent in Sikkim and will have all actors, including the heroine, from here. Only the hero will be from outside Sikkim. Since the story line was written keeping Sikkim in mind, there is no better way for the film to be made other than shooting here,” says Suvendu.
‘Everyday is Sunday’ is inspired from the Ben Stiller-Drew Barrymore starrer, Hollywood flick, ‘51 first dates’. Auditions started here at Hotel New Castle this afternoon. A total of 25 actors auditioned for the film on the first day and auditions are also slated for tomorrow. The film-makers are expecting around 50-60 actors to audition for the film which has around 40 roles especially reserved for actors from Sikkim.
“We are actually representatives from Kolkata and we ensure that everything will is done with utmost transparency. We are here to bridge the gap between filmmakers from Sikkim and Tollywood and we are sure that after this film many more filmmakers will choose Sikkim as the next shooting destination,” he stated.
It may also be informed that the film is being supported by Tata Motors and by DV Studio, Deorali, Sikkim and shooting is scheduled to start from 15 February. Also present today for the auditions was the veteran film editor, Raj Singh Sidhu.
Mr. Sidhu informs that the film is on the right track since shooting locations have also been decided and recces made. The film will be shot in Lachung, Sang Khola and areas like Tashi View Point and MG Marg in Gangtok. He also said that the music of the film is being given by Souman Hazare who has based his music on the mandolin instrument.
Speaking to NOW! Pavi Sakhya, MD, DV Studios, Deorali who is the main person behind coordinating the shoot for the entire film here informed that Sikkim was now being recognized as a favorable shooting destination and film makers from outside the state were recognizing the potential of manpower, artists and scenic locations.
“After DV Studios managed to provide expertise to companies such as IDEA for its ‘honey-bunny’ advertisement where three prominent artists from Sikkim were cast, many phone calls have started coming in. This film has also come about through DV Studios. We know that Sikkim is emerging as a great shooting locale and we wish to give film makers from outside all help and support for the film industry to grow here,” stated Pavi Sakhya.
He also informed that DV Studios is providing a platform for all local artists by tying up with film makers from outside and that the company’s involvement in the film was basically to give this platform a big boost.
“We are actually just a company that would ideally give the cine equipment for hire, but we thought that we have a bigger role to play in this endeavor since it is for the benefit of local artists and the small film industry here. Tourism which is a main stay of Sikkim’s economy will also benefit a lot from such exposure so we are into this film with all dedication,” informs Sakhya.  
Interested artists can also contact 810194068/9932295813 and come to the audition venue at Deorali with their respective bio-data and passport size photographs.