My parents' relationship with Kolkata is so strong. Growing up, the absence of Kolkata was always present in our lives.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Kolkata is a great city, has great food and great people. We had some problems finding the kind of old buildings we were looking for, and even handling the crowds, but on the whole it was fun shooting there.
Kolkata is a musical city. What I like about people here is the lack of diplomacy. Some of the best Indian classical musicians belong to this place. Kolkatans do not go by fashion, but by passion.
Calcutta is like another world. People there are very special and grateful.
I want to live in Kolkata; I don't want to live in Europe - I can't write there. I write in Bengali, and I need to be surrounded by the Bengali language and culture.
I lived in Calcutta for five months in 1999. While I was there, I read many journals, diaries, collections of letters and histories.
Ultimately, my connection to my Indian-ness comes back to my mom and dad. They would all tell me and my siblings stories about their life in India, so it was very close to my two brothers and my sister and I.
I've been to India a lot, ever since when my mum was in 'Jewel In The Crown.'
Kolkata is the relatively unexplored part of India as far as Hindi films are concerned.
I am neither a Bengali nor am I from Delhi's St Stephen's. I am an Allahabad boy.
I grew up in Kolkata in a traditional family. We had friends who lived in mansions just like the one in 'Oleander Girl.' Growing up, I was fascinated by the old house and the old Bengal lifestyle.