Soumitra Chatterjee and Indrani Halder in Saanjhbatir Roopkathara

Three years after exploring her dreams and disillusionment in Saanjhbatir Roopkathara, film-maker Anjan Das is raring to carry Saanjhbati?s story forward. The film was based on a story by Joy Goswami, who is now busy penning the sequel. Starring Indrani Halder and Soumitra Chatterjee, Saanjhbatir Roopkathara trailed the realms of reality and fantasy of the central character through her relationship with her painter father.

Das, who felt a lot remained to be said about this ?next-door girl with a different sensitivity and worldview?, had talked Goswami into writing the sequel some four-five months back.

?I felt there was something more to say about Saanjhbati. In the film, we see her on the verge of finding a niche for herself in life after a lot of trials and tribulations. So, I had a talk with Joy and suggested that he write a sequel. He was pretty much excited and is now in the process of writing?,? says Das. The film will have the same lead cast.

The director feels Saanjhbati?s character can be fleshed out with an emphasis on her career. ?How the characters should be developed in the sequel is a job best left to the writer. But this time, visually, we may move towards a desert...?

Producer Arindam Chaudhuri hints Saanjhbati?s story will be carried forward by focussing on two other male characters in her life.

?Saanjhbatir Roopkathara ended without Saanjhbati?s life reaching a resolution. Now we plan to have it in two parts ? the first will be about the love of her life and the second about Saanjhbati and her son,? explains Chaudhuri, whose company Planman Life had backed the 2002 film and will steer the rest of the Saanjhbati saga.

Looking back at Saanjhbatir Roopkathara, Das feels there was much room for improvement. ?For instance, I felt there were some subtle nuances that I had failed to portray. Then, more silence should have been maintained. And the visuals too... For instance, I could have shown Pujarini in a different way? Maybe she could have been Nature, instead of a human figure,? adds Das, planning to start the sequel by May-June.

His Faltu, based on Syed Mujtaba Siraj?s Ranir Ghater Brittanto and produced by Planman Motion Pictures, will hit the theatres on February 10. The film revolving around the search for an identity stars Indrani Halder, Yash Pandit and Manjari Fadnis.

Apart from the Saanjhbatir sequel, talks are also on with producer R.D. Bansal for a project on Saamne Samudra, based on a Shyamal Gangopadhyay story.