Journalism of Courage
The camera focuses on a young tribal girl running through a dark,moonless forest. She looks back as she runs,her eyes darting left and right and her face has the look of a hunted animal. The scene suddenly changes. Now,there is an older man on the screen,dressed in traditional Bengali attire,scribbling with great energy. The scenes keep alternating,giving the viewers an idea that the woman is just a figment of the writers imagination.
The writer,dressed shabbily with unkempt hair and a scraggy beard,is called Nilkantha,and his character is based on the legendary Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. Portrayed by Saswata Chatterjee,who was last seen as the notorious Bob Biswas in Kahaani,the film is partly based on Ghataks life and will explore the creative workings of a genius mind.
Directed by Kamaleshwar Mukherjee,who is best known for his critically acclaimed Bengali film Uro Chithi (meaning an anonymous letter),the yet untitled film promises to be dark and thought-provoking. It is not a biopic. We have tried and gone beyond Ghataks life and focussed on his social,political and cultural ideologies, explains Mukherjee.
Shot mostly in West Bengal Purulia and Kolkata the film also stars National Award-winning actress Ananya Chatterjee as the protagonists wife,Durga . Slated for an October / November release,the film will be in Bengali with English subtitles. So,does the director plan to release it nationally? Well,that depends on our producers. If we get a good response in Bengal,a national release can be looked at, he says.
