Ritabhari Chakraborty On Papa Buka...And How She Runs A School For 86 Deaf Children In Kolkata (Exclusive)

Papa Buka is an India–Papua New Guinea co-production that has just been selected as Papua New Guinea’s inaugural submission to the Academy Awards in the International Feature Film category, marking the Pacific nation’s first-ever Oscar entry.

Directed by internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Bijukumar Damodaran, the film follows an aging war veteran (Prakash Bare) as he guides two Indian historians through untold WWII stories that connect India and Papua New Guinea through shared sacrifice and humanity. Ritabhari Chakraborty plays the film’s female lead, a role that takes her into new cultural and linguistic landscapes. Three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej has composed music for the film.

In an interaction with The Free Press Journal, one of the most recognisable faces of Bengali cinema, Ritabhari—who has been part of films such as Fatafati, Bohurupi, and Anushka Sharma’s Pari—tells us about the film, unheard stories, and also a school for deaf children which she runs.

Q. Could you tell us about 2 of the untold WWII stories that connect India and Papua New Guinea?

A. Not a lot of people know that a lot of Indians traveled to Papua New Guinea to fight during the Second World War on behalf of the British. And, ironically, there were probably Indians on the other side too, because Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was supporting the troops on the other side. So, at some point, Indians fought Indians in a war which was not even their own! And the Kokoda Trail is a very difficult one; a lot of soldiers died on that trail out of sickness or just while getting through it. I got to visit the graveyards of the dead and saw the graves of boys as young as 17 years old. Some of them didn’t even have names on them because the bodies were not identified.

Q. Why do you describe yourself as a chemical reaction between Deadpool & Doris Day?

A. I describe myself as Deadpool and Doris Day because I have both features. I’m really goofy and quirky, and also can have a foul mouth (in private) like Deadpool! I can be quite a fighter, but with a really fun tone in my head at the same time. From the Doris Day angle, I am extremely aesthetic, like to take care of my house, wear pretty floral dresses, and have the nature of a, quote-unquote, ‘60s good lady.’ And the combination feels lethal for many because those two combinations just don't go together!

Q. Do you also sell the miniatures you make?

A. No, I do not sell my miniatures. I create them for the sake of joy. I only once made a miniature for a commercial purpose, which was for the chairman of a bank. They wanted to give him something special since he was retiring, so I replicated his cabin—the one he had worked in his entire life.

Q. How and why did you get associated with the Ideal School for the Deaf?

A. I got the idea when I was 17. The teachers of the school had come to me so that I could be part of an awareness walk. The school was shutting down due to lack of funds. And that's where I met the kids. There were 33 of them at that point of time. I did not know how to run a school, but I thought, how much would it cost to just run the school to make sure that it doesn't shut down? And the teachers told me about the figure. I figured if I don't buy luxury shoes and similar stuff for some time, maybe I'll be able to afford it. That's how naive I was! But over the years, I learned how to run the school, and now we have 86 children, and it's a proper West Bengal Board-affiliated school now, which it wasn't. I celebrate literally everything with my children in school—from Holi to Durga Puja to Christmas to my birthday. But it isn't easy keeping the school alive and intact. For example, making sure my teachers get paid at the right time, making sure the lawn is trimmed regularly, and there aren't any sharp objects like stones which could hurt my children. People might think that taking care of a school and children—just judging from my social media—is all about celebrating and taking fun pictures, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Running a school is a mammoth task, and it's literally a marathon job. But somehow, my kids have given me so much love and care in all these years, and I have felt so much validated and supported by them that it feels an honour to take care of them.