when we asked srijit mukherji to accompany us on a tour to kolkatas cultural hotspots he chose just three places nandan nt1 and academy of fine arts his love affair with the city and its culture goes back to his younger days like numerous ambitious students of economics from the city srijit too went to the jawaharlal nehru university in the capital for pursuing higher studies he travelled to several places for work before he returned to the city where he belongs kolkatakolkata is where i grew up and the city has witnessed two of the most important phases of my life my halcyon days when i was a student and had little to worry about the universe and my second professional inning as a storyteller the filmmaker saidbut be it delhi or bangalore where he worked for many years srijit always imbibes the art and culture of the places he lives in finally his creative spark and love for the city brought him back to kolkata a city which has been his lover for yearstalking about his cultural bond with kolkata srijit said flirting in my opinion is primarily of two types one that you do with an acquaintance to check on the possibility of conjugal interest and the other that you do with your lover or wife to reiterate your conjugal love my affair with nandan nt1 or academy falls in the second category and this love is not just because these places have a very strong influence on me but also because they are indispensable parts of a city that has made me what i am todaynandan has been integral to srijit since his early days ive so many memories associated with this place a lot of them are a combination of my love life and cinema he said with a smile i have watched some of the most important films in this auditorium and the time spent here is ohsomemorable the director addedsrijit is also an ardent theatre lover he took several onstage initiatives during his bangalore days in fact even today the director is often seen watching plays at different auditoriums in the city no wonder academy of fine arts is one of his most favourite spots this place opens up the floodgates of nostalgia for me thanks to the unforgettable memories of proscenium the greasepaint and the arc lights srijit told usbesides these two places srijit is also deeply attached to the nt1 studio this place gives me the feeling of being a part of an incredible legacy with contemporary advancements in a dream manufacturing unit he added