Film festival introduces world premiere for Bengali films

The 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival will not have the Bengali Panorama section -a permanent fixture till the last edition of the fest. The reason? Festival organisers couldn't find enough films to showcase in that section. In its place, they are introducing a `World Premiere' section for Bengali films. And the three films selected for the section's debut are Biler Diary, Smug and Baranda.Anindya Pulak Banerjee's experimental film, Smug, is already garnering a lot of attention. “I had sent it to the International Competition: Innovations in Moving Images section, but it couldn't sustain a place there. I've no regrets as my film was made on a very small budget,“ said Anindya. Starring Debleena Dutta and a few other faces from television, the film draws inspiration from Lord Shiva's Tandava and the philosophy of destruction of old attachments. “I strongly feel that the Bengali films made today do no good to people. Though business is the main motive, most don't even rake in the moolah. My film is a critique of Bengali cinema,“ he said.
Reshmi Mitra's Baranda, starring Rituparna Sengupta, Bratya Basu and Shaheb Bhattacherjee, is the other film selected for World Premiere. Based on author Moti Nandi's eponymous novel, it reflects on the metaphorical `balcony of life'. Filling us in on his complex character in the film, Bratya said, “I play a `handicapped character'. In flashback, he is seen in perfect health. I had to portray both and it was not easy.“
Another actor, who is looking forward to the festival, is Biswanath Basu. Biswarup Biswas' Biler Diary, which also stars Samadarshi Dutta, sees him as a Maharaj in a mission school. “Gurus who come to be a part of the mission, renounce the world, but while teaching, a bond is again forged with the students. The film touches upon the delicate issue of detachment. It's a beautiful film and I am looking forward to the screening,“ Biswanath told us.