Prominent Bengali directors and actors have agreed that content is the key driver of a film’s success, while a strong cast offers crucial support, though opinions differed on the precise balance between these elements in making a film a hit.

Ace director Srijit Mukherjee, who moderated the discussion on Sunday titled ‘Which one is more important for the success of a film – storyline or the pair,’ at the 30th Kolkata International Film Festival, said while content has become stronger, stardom is no longer the sole determining factor in a film’s box office success, a PTI report from Kolkata said yesterday.

Actor Chiranjit Chakraborty offered a different perspective, saying, “Both the story, script, and casting, along with the pairing of actors, are equally important and crucial. In fact, these two factors are like ‘jugalbandi’ in classical music and contribute to a film’s success.”

He referenced the iconic Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen pairing from the golden era of Bengali cinema, noting that both casting and the storyline were crucial for success.

Popular actor Paoli Dam asserted that “content is king” in the audio-visual medium of cinema. However, she added that success also depends on the collaboration of content, director, cinematographer, and the cast, which must resonate with the audience.

Actor Soham Chakraborty also backed Paoli and said “content is king”. He argued that many films starring the legendary Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen failed to make an impact because audiences did not connect with the content.

Director Haranath Chakraborty agreed that both content and casting are essential for a film’s success. He recalled that in the 80s and 90s, producers often had a “wish list” of stars like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Satabdi Roy, and Chiranjit Chakraborty, believing that popular actors could attract audiences to single-screen theaters.

He, however, pointed out that the story was ultimately the “real hero” in the films of commercially successful directors like Anjan Choudhury. “Hence, it used to be both ways at that time. Both content and casting pair remained equally important for a film’s success. It has evolved but not changed much,” he said.