Shantanu Moitra on directorial debut with project featuring Kaushiki Chakraborty: I enjoyed it, open to directing more

Hindustan Times

27-06-2025

Having been a musician all his life, composer Shantanu Moitra has added another feather to his hat by turning filmmaker. He has directed and produced an upcoming docu series on YouTube, which features a six-part, sit-down conversation with singer Kaushiki Chakraborty. Sharing why he decided to turn director, Shantanu says, 'I wanted to become an entrepreneur and a storyteller. I wanted to break this whole pattern of someone calling to offer me a work opportunity. That made my brain start ticking and I thought I want to try something else.' Shantanu Moitra
Titled Pankh, his first outing is music driven, as it's a live-autobiography and album on Kaushiki's life. 'Over the years, there have been lots of stories that I wanted to share with the world. And what better vocalist to voice that feeling of mine – that I need to share these stories – than Kaushiki Chakraborty. I believe if you're really passionate about something, then you are the best person to execute it. That is the reason why I took this leap of faith and turned a director,' says Shantanu.
As someone navigating music and filmmaking now, Shantanu accepts that there's a lot of commonality and differences between the two crafts. 'Before I compose a song, I have a gifted power to hear the song in my head, which includes the songs I've composed for Parineeta (2005) or 3 Idiots (2009). That's something that I experienced as a director too. I could see it and had a clear vision before I started directing it. That's the commonality. The greatest difference was the turnaround time in the two crafts. As a composer, the turnaround time from the moment I hear my song in my head to execution is less, as I record it immediately after calling the right people for fit. However, in case of a film, there are many departments and people that I am dependent on. And the gestation period from when I have thought of an idea to when I finally see it manifest is huge,' Shantanu ends. Kaushiki Chakraborty and Shantanu Moitra in Pankh
Talking about working with Kaushiki, he adds, 'Coincidentally, she is also in that state of mind where she also wants to tell stories and not just sing a song. So, both these things converged and honestly, it's a crazy idea to present a song like we did (in Pankh, with the aspect of storytelling). There are six stories making six episodes and from them come six songs. So this is a pretty crazy idea, especially from a music perspective.'