Shweta Prasad Basu associates with Phantom Films as a script consultant

Shweta Prasad Basu

By Priyanka Bhadani

Putting the past firmly behind her, National Award winning actress, Shweta Prasad Basu has now moved on to more constructive pursuits. She has associated herself with Phantom Films (co-owned by Anurag Kashyap, Madhu Mantena, Vikas Bahl and Vikramaditya Motwane) as a script consultant. “I am curating scripts for Anurag Kashyap Films Productions also,” says Prasad whose short film INT. Cafe- Night directed by Adhiraj Bose, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Naveen Kasturia and Shernaz Patel, was screened at the recent Short Film Festival in Mumbai.
Kashyap and Motwane, who have been good friends, now want her to keep herself occupied with films. “In fact, I had an offer to assist Kashyap when I was in Class 12, but I was busy preparing for my exam,” says Prasad, who has been concentrating on her documentary, Roots, since the last three years. She got in touch with the makers for its edit and other post-production work when they offered her to join them.
As a script consultant, she is supposed to go through all the scripts that she gets, give her feedback and brainstorm over characters, actors that will fit the part because she has been involved with movies, theatre and music after Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal. “My parents wanted me to concentrate on my studies after I completed Iqbal. But then I was a part of many short film clubs and watched a lot of films and attended many film festivals and plays,” says Prasad who has also pursued media studies and has thus got a fair idea of distinguishing a bad script over a good one.
Prasad, who was released last month from a remand home, also met film-makers Hansal Mehta and Vishal Bhardwaj. “With Hansal, it was a more informal meet. I showed him the documentary, Roots, that I have shot. His son Jay and other members from his office who were also present appreciated the effort. If there’s a project that I am working in, he will make an official announcement,” she says.
Talking about her association with Vishal Bhardwaj that dates back to the time when she worked as a child artiste under his direction in Makdee, Shweta says that, as of now, she is not sure of doing a film with him, but is concentrating on her documentary.
Based on Hindustani classical music, the documentary is an extension of her interest in music. She is a trained sitar player and during her lessons , she realised how important it was for the younger generation to know about its musical roots. The film features many renowned musicians that include Shubha Mudgal, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma, A.R. Rahman, Vishal Bhardwaj among many others. “I would like to send it for both international and national festivals,” says the 23-year-old, who is looking forward to a whole new stint in the industry besides acting.