Age forces Kabir Suman to hand over dream project on Pannalal

It���s a story that is very close to Kabir Suman���s heart and he wanted to direct the film himself. But with age and health concerns coming in the way, the maestro is ready to hand over his dream project ��� a tribute to Pannalal Ghosh, titled Nupurdhwani ��� to Satrajit Sen.
���I had written this script long back. I had wanted to direct it and though it may have been possible six-seven years back, I don���t have the stamina now.So I���ve entrusted Satrajit with the job. The film will have music by me and I will be with him throughout with my suggestions. I know Satrajit hasn���t directed a film yet, but I have faith in him. I like his attitude and have seen that he���s very interested in films. This is a humble tribute to Acharya Pannalal Ghosh. It���s sad that Bengal and even India have forgotten the legend and his centenary. But in Bangladesh they celebrate it for three days and artistes from here go to perform there. As an MP, I requested our Prime Minister and Lok Sabha speaker to celebrate the day or at least bring out a stamp in his memory, but no one took my request seriously,��� said Suman. He has thought of Arun Mukhopadhyay in the lead role, ���but I haven���t spoken to him,��� added Suman. The film will have a lot of Indian classical music, and Suman will weave in a few ragas created by Pannalal.
Satrajit is on cloud nine after Suman���s offer. ���It came out of the blue and I obviously asked ���why me?���. Sumanda said that he liked the way I thought about films. He added that many of his admirers in the industry may have directed it too, but their adulation for him may hamper their clear vision. With me that would never be the case, he said,��� recounted Satrajit.
The film apparently germinated in Suman���s mind when he heard the strains of a raga on the road outside his window. ���While the raga was well-known, it was being used to hawk Joynagarer moa,��� said Satrajit.
While we all know him as a songwriter and composer, he has also learnt filmmaking in Germany and used to make films on super 8 cameras. He knows editing as well. While he was supposed to make it, he had two cerebral attacks and he was advised to abort the project,��� said Satrajit.
The film will go on the floors after March 2015. ���We will not rush things as this is a huge project. Sumanda has a couple of other stories, all based on his personal experiences. This film demands only a single powerful character in the lead and we are debating names. It will be a dream come true if we can make Naseeruddin Shah sign on. We will be approaching him shortly,��� informed Satrajit.