Cinematic Catharsis

The poignant moments in the play involved a dacoit named Ratnakar,who is moved by the blood-curdling cries of the girl he is about to behead. He later turns into a sage and pens the Ramayana. “Every moment enacted by Nigel had so much honesty about it. I immediately wanted to make a film,with his life as the subject,” says Nandita. Along with Shibprasad Mukhopadhyaya,she has made the film,Muktodhara (Flow of Freedom),based on the life and story of Akkara and his teacher Alokananda.

“The play made me feel accepted in society. The film has given me some fame. But it is all momentary. I have the responsibility of looking after more ex-prisoners,who work with me,” says Akkara,who spent nine years in the jail with 19 cases against him. He has been acquitted in a few. Muktodhara is running to full houses in West Bengal.

Akkara became involved with various gangs at the age of 15,some years after his father,an army officer,died in a road accident. “I wanted to be an army officer as a kid,but somehow got involved in kidnapping,extortion and contract killing,” says Akkara,who does not dwell on the days gone by,but says,“What I did was wrong. And there is no excuse for it. But Ma (Alokananda) and her love for me,had me reformed.”

Alokananda remembers her first visit to Presidency Jail when Akkara had shot a question at her: “Ab gunde ghungroo pehnenge?” The senior dancer,however,wasn’t deterred. She chose Akkara to play Valmiki. When rehearsals began,so did Akkara’s process of reformation. “I did not think that something like this was possible. But it was all about trusting them as actors and treating them as normal people. I figured that normalcy is the only thing that can bring them back from the abyss. It’s been a beautiful journey for me and Nigel. The relationship we share is special,” she says.

Today,Akkara works with former inmates at Kolkata Facilities Management,his firm that provides security services as well as housekeeping and pest-control services. “I got my chance to change. Now,I want to provide a platform for other ex-prisoners,” he says.

Nandita adds that while filming Muktodhara,there were many heartfelt moments. “When the subject is close to real life,shoots are a little different,” she says,remembering a scene from the film where Akkara had to fall on his feet and scream for penance. “He did it so well. With him,it all comes from the heart. I welled up and ran to hug him,” she adds.

Akkara is happy with the attention but does not want to get carried away by it,nor by the host of scripts landing on his desk everyday. “I have my business,and my friends,who have also suffered like me,to look after. In my free time,I love listening to instrumental music,meditating and talking to my mother. She is a happier person now,” says Akkara. Sometimes,even violent stories in real life have happy endings.