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Journalism of Courage
What may come as a rude shock to films buffs of the country,four classics of filmmaker Tapan Sinha,including Hansuli Banker Upakatha (1962) and Ekhani (1971),are not traceable.
The prints of the Bengali filmmakers three other movies,including his debut Ankush (1954),Tonsil (1956) and Kalamati (1957) are believed to have been destroyed in a fire at the archives of Punes National Film Institute,according to son Anindhya.
Dadasaheb Phalke winner Sinha was a contemporary of Satyajit Ray and a prominent face behind the parallel cinema movement in the country. He is best remembered for movies like Kabuliwala (1957) and Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1991).
Anindhya said he has lost all hope to find the prints from any government body and now plans to advertise in newspapers to get a print from private collectors.
We lost the prints of three movies while he (Sinha) was still alive and now it seems that we have also lost Hansuli Banker Upakatha (1962),Ekhani (1971),Ek Je Chhilo Desh (1977),Khudhito Pashan (1960) and telefilm Admi Aur Aurat (1982), said Anindhya from Bangalore.
He said that Sinhas associates had tried to know about the fate of the prints from the archives of Punes National Film Institute but they could not get any information.
We have been unable to find anything and it seems that we have lost the master-prints forever. I will advertise in newspaper to get the movie from private collectors, he said.
I have also tried at my level to find about the prints but had no success so far. Admi Aur Aurat (1982) and Satyajit Rays telefilm Sadgati were produced by NFDC. I hope they release a DVD of these two films so that the prints are protected. If we do not care,we will have nothing for the next generation of filmmakers, he added.
Anindhya said that Sinha could never get over the loss of the prints.
Ankush was his debut while he worked with his wife Arundhati in Kalamati for the first time. The loss was a huge shock for him, he said.
Anindhya said that the Bengali original of Dilip Kumar-Saira Banu film Sagina,Sagina Mahato (1970) and fantasy film Ek Je Chhilo Desh (1977),which was shown on Doordarshan seven years ago,is also missing.
Filmmaker Mrinal Sens films Punascha (Over Again) (1961) and Pratinidhi (The Representative) (1964) also saw a similar fate.
Satyajit Rays classic Pather Panchali was restored by Ford Foundation after suffering huge damages at the London Film Festival.
