A Holy Conspiracy highlights the socio-economic conditions of modern India

From minority issues to religious agendas, Saibal Mitra’s A Holy Conspiracy delves into important aspects of society. The film, starring the late Soumitra Chatterjee, Naseeruddin Shah, Anashua Majumdar, Amrita Chattopadhyay, Kaushik Sen, Sraman Chatterjee, Suvrajit Dutta, Biplab Dasgupta and the late Jagannath Guha, is produced by Walzen Media Works Pvt Ltd and will hit the theatres on July 29.
A Holy Conspiracy is loosely based on the 1925 Scope Trial and the famous play, Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee. The story is about how a science teacher denies teaching a book of religion at his regular science class. The incident is blown out of proportion and the teacher gets arrested. It is followed by a trial that questions the importance and need of science versus religion. “The film highlights the socio-economic conditions of contemporary India through a story,” said the director, adding, “The film took four and a half years to see the light of the day. It took us two years to make the film and two and a half years got wasted because of the pandemic. Two of the film’s protagonists – Soumitra da and Jagannath da – are not there with us anymore, and I am missing their presence tremendously. Many of my technicians who were associated with the film also lost their lives in the pandemic. Naseeruddin ji too will not be able to come for the special show due to health issues.”
How was it working with stalwarts like Soumitra Chatterjee and Naseeruddin Shah, we asked. “It was indeed a pleasure and an honour. Getting these two actors together in one frame is nothing less than creating history. At first, I was sceptical and didn’t know whether actors of their stature would cooperate with us. But after working for a few days, I realised they were extremely accommodating. I don’t need to talk about their acting calibre, as we all are aware of their great works. Despite health issues, Soumitra da was able to do the dubbing,” said Saibal.