Alla Festa del Cinema di Roma 2019 verrà proiettato anche un cortometraggio diretto da Nila Madhab Panda, in occasione dell'evento Interdependence/Le sfide del futuro - Cinema e ambiente.
'The film (...) features a male protagonist travelling to Rome in search of his sister who, in Chatterjee’s words, “is a reflection of all those Italian women who had extreme talent but went unnoticed because the male power always dominated”. In spite of the rushed schedule and limited resources, efficient and passionate creative teams both in India and in Italy helped see the project through. Both countries’ teams connected on a greater level. “[The Italians are] in many ways like us - they’re emotional, they love food, they’re loud, they laugh - and so the unit gelled effortlessly”. In a leisurely chat with The Hindu, the actor recalls how attending a film festival birthed the germ of the idea for her film. Chatterjee was at the Venice Film Festival a few years ago when a ‘surreal’ incident moved her so much that she decided to put it down on paper. “I still don’t know how to make sense of it,” she says. Months later following a discussion with actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui (...) the idea gathered momentum and the decision to create something together was taken.
Gender and storytelling
Roam Rome Mein is in English, Hindi and Italian and instead of using the European country simply as a location, the film integrates its language, history and culture. “It had to be in Italy because there is a background of the Renaissance,” remarks its director adding that though initially set in Venice, her film’s location changed to Rome because of logistical difficulties. The move thankfully gave the film more character and depth. She explains that although writers like the English Mary Wollstonecraft are generally regarded as the literary foremothers of the feminist movement, courtesans and aristocratic women in Renaissance Italy had access to education even earlier. Feminist writing truly then, started in Italy. There were female Renaissance artists too who contributed immensely to the movement and challenged biblical myths and patriarchal ideas but remained unknown for centuries. The first women’s protest took place at the Forum Romanum in Rome, a symbolic place that Chatterjee says she shot in. Stepping into the role of director, the 38-year-old is now aware of how gender can affect male and female storytelling. (...) For instance, it became evident with the feedback she received for her script. “Women understood the emotional quotient more strongly, while men wanted to make it a search and a thriller,” says the actor.
Veritable experiences
“Whatever I did in this film comes from my experiences as an actor,” she says alluding to learning technical craft, vision and storytelling from the directors she has worked with. The actor also reveals how her training as an actor especially, exercises in truth and empathy, are central to her craft. “I have always felt that the actor’s life is a spiritual one because it allows you to empathise deeply with stories and yet remain detached.” Chatterjee however confesses that juggling the dual functions of actor and director for her first film was an exceptionally difficult experience. Roam Rome Mein is led by Nawazuddin Siddiqui who was Chatterjee’s senior at the National School of Drama and someone she has acted alongside. (...) “I think he has a very captivating face, one that is made for cinema,” she says speaking of her long friendship with the Siddiqui and of her admiration for his calibre and commitment. “I am spoilt by working with somebody like him in my first film,” Chatterjee concludes'.
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Video: Valentina Corti e Andrea Scarduzio al Busan International Film Festival 2019.
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Roam Rome Mein, il film indiano sull'emancipazione femminile alla Festa del Cinema di Roma, Leggo, 14 ottobre 2019: '“La protagonista raggiunge a Roma una tappa fondamentale del suo viaggio di emancipazione. Questo film racconta un’importante storia di affermazione dei diritti femminili e può essere considerato una pietra miliare tra i film sulla parità di genere” - così Urbano Barberini, nel cast italiano insieme a Pamela Villoresi, Valentina Corti e Francesco Apolloni. “Lavorare con una regista così giovane e così piena di talento - continua Barberini - è stata un’esperienza entusiasmante e mi ha fatto capire come in India ci sia una nuova generazione che sta realizzando una vera rivoluzione culturale dove le donne si rendono protagoniste”.'
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“Roam Rome Mein”: quando l’amore supera le differenze culturali, Vittorio De Agrò, Parole a Colori, 17 ottobre 2019: 'Tannishtha Chatterjee firma un’opera prima di grandissimo valore artistico, sociologico, culturale, e di notevole impatto emotivo. (...) Il film è un racconto di libertà ed emancipazione, un coraggioso atto di ribellione da parte della giovane protagonista contro un destino scritto da altri. Un progetto ambizioso, particolare, vivace, ricco di colpi di scena e stilisticamente innovativo e audace. La Chatterjee firma una sceneggiatura dove diversi generi si mescolano in modo armonioso, al punto che è difficile inserire “Roma Rome Mein” in un genere preciso. Dramma psicologico, thriller, racconto intimo e onirico. (...) “Roam Rome Mein” non trasmette mai allo spettatore un senso di approssimazione o di trionfo di luoghi comuni su Roma e sull’Italia, il che non è poco'.
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Recensione di Francesco Parrino, Cinematographe, 18 ottobre 2019: 'La cinematografia contemporanea è parecchio legata alla tematica del ruolo della donna nella società (...) ma
Roam Rome Mein (...) riesce nell’intento di trattarne con originalità, come mai prima d’ora. La pellicola della Chatterjee infatti, si contraddistingue per una semplicità di racconto, specie nella messinscena, che però non corrisponde all’intreccio che ne deriva - fatto perlopiù di digressioni temporali ed elementi onirici, complesso, con cui far riflettere lo spettatore sulle differenze etniche e di carattere sociale, a cavallo tra Italia e India.
Roam Rome Mein (...) sta stupendo critica e pubblico di tutto il mondo. (...) La Chatterjee, per portare in scena questo racconto d’emancipazione femminile, si affida alla cifra stilistica da cinema giallo, impostando il racconto sul punto di vista del protagonista maschile. (...) L’opera prima di Tannishtha Chatterjee, recitata tutta in lingua inglese e hindi pur essendo ambientata in Italia con attori italiani, è un piccolo e curioso gioiello cinematografico.
Roam Rome Mein riesce infatti a trattare una tematica ampiamente inflazionata nel cinema di genere, in modo intelligente e accattivante. Un film femminista in cui il protagonista assoluto è un uomo alla ricerca del “fantasma” di una donna'.
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Can't believe we pulled it off, Subhash K. Jha, The Asian Age, 4 novembre 2019: 'It hasn’t been easy for Tannishtha Chatterjee to make her directorial debut, and that too with a film shot almost entirely in Rome. How she managed to shoot
Roam Rome Mein in one of the most expensive city is a mystery. “I can’t tell you how tough it was. We were a tightly knit team of dedicated soldiers, and we were all on war-footing. Everyone was doing everything on location. I was not just the director, I was also the handy girl, handling every problem whether practical or emotional. I’ve come back very experienced and very exhausted from Rome,” the director reveals with a sigh. Tannishtha (...) says she was very sure her directorial debut had to be shot in Rome. “Italy has an ancient history of fierce patriarchy. In the past, women in Italy were not allowed to own expensive possessions. I wanted to locate my film in a society even more patriarchal than ours, and one where women have a long history of protesting and winning over the system,” she explains. The director further says that
Roam Rome Mein is a feminist film and she is more than happy to have Nawazuddin Siddiqui on board. “We play siblings.
Roam Rome Mein is a story of a brother searching for his sister. The film also has six very powerful Italian actors, including legendary names like Valentina Corti and Urbano Barberini. They agreed to come on board without bothering about their fees. They insisted on reading their lines for me. They felt that since this was my first film, I should be absolutely sure about my actors. I was moved and encouraged by their humility and dedication,” she smiles. Tannishtha sees her film as a labour of love. “Everyone co-operated, and only then could the film be made. I still don’t believe I actually managed to shoot in one of the most expensive cities in the world at such a shoestring budget. It isn’t short of a miracle,” she laughs. The film is already being hailed as a significant directorial debut. Tannishtha says: “It was shown at the Busan International Film Festival and at the International Rome Film Festival. We got a really positive reaction to the film at both the venues”.'
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Video ITV Gold: intervista concessa da Tannishtha Chatterjee durante il NYC South Asian Film Festival 2019.
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Video ITV Gold: intervista concessa da Nawazuddin Siddiqui durante il NYC South Asian Film Festival 2019.
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Tra Roma e Mumbai un film per i diritti delle donne, Laura Aldorisio, 25 novembre 2019: 'Valentina Corti racconta il film “Roam Rome Mein” di cui è protagonista. Nella cornice romana su uno scooter disegna il suo viaggio al fianco del noto attore indiano Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Già perché la regia, ma soprattutto la cultura, è di matrice indiana. (...) «La conoscenza tra il mio personaggio e il giovane Raj [
interpretato da Siddiqui] attraversa la difficoltà linguistica. Io posso diventare una Virgilio al femminile che lo condurrà lungo la riscoperta dell’amore. E nascerà una persona nuova». Tutto prende spunto da una storia vera che alla regista, Tannishtha Chatterjee, è stata raccontata a Venezia. «È un tema certamente molto delicato e lo sguardo della regia illumina il tema dei diritti delle donne». Una sfida che Valentina ha vinto dopo una serie di provini. Poi sono iniziate le riprese divise tra Roma e Mumbai «in un contesto molto onirico. Si girava di notte nella scorsa estate. Roma, la mia città natale, l’ho potuta vivere in un altro modo come un palco a scena aperta. Posso dire che è un film di speranza e che rende vigili su un tema quanto mai oggi così attuale».'
Vedi anche
Italy says Benvenuto, intervista nella quale Ivano Fucci di ODU Movies rivela alcuni dettagli interessanti relativi all'organizzazione dei set italiani di RRM. L'articolo raccoglie una dichiarazione di Tannishtha: 'I have always been fascinated by the art and architecture of Rome. But why I chose Rome as a backdrop is very integral to my story. Valentina's (Corti) character is a painter in the film and some of the most famous Italian women Renaissance painters came from Rome. The contribution that Italian feminists had to the world of women artistes is immense. So, as my first film, I wanted to celebrate their contribution to the world of art. (...) When I travelled to Rome, I did more research on Artemisia Gentileschi, whose art I am fascinated with. I think Italy and India have many things in common. On one hand, both countries have a very strong, ancient culture and history. On the other hand, they have family structures that are quite similar; families which can be an anchor but sometimes oppressive as well. It's this commonality that I have tried to explore through my film. There were many Italians in my crew. We have seven Italian actors in major roles. Our costume designer and casting director were Italian. Our production designer, line producers, all our production assistants, light assistants, sound assistants and local junior artistes were Italian'.
