Eye-catcher: The sari can never fall out of favour, said Rimjhim Mitra and Monami Ghosh, flaunting the Mangalgiri festive collection at F-17 Dakshinapan. Picture by Rashbehari Das

A good script and a meaty role have lured yesteryear actor Arun Mukhopadhyay to play the protagonist in Saibal Mitra’s telefilm Prajapatir Janmo.

Satyajit Ray’s Ashok in Kanchanjungha has been a reluctant screen man. Associated with theatre (Bohurupee) for a long time now, he finds today’s serials and films “uninteresting”, but is game for meaningful telefilms.

“When Saibal approached me with the script, I felt that I could do justice to the role. Besides I am open to doing telefilms as I don’t need to memorise my lines much given the numerous cuts. Serials are just not my cup of tea, not only because I have to memorise my lines, but also because I find them very boring,” admits Mukhopadhyay.

In Prajapatir Janmo Mukhopadhyay plays Sushital, an old man who lives alone in a small village and occasionally visits Calcutta to meet a friend. During one such visit he comes across schoolgirl Kajalrekha (played by Brishti Mukherjee). A bond grows between the little girl and the old man as they spend hours together in a park. The girl is fascinated by nature and during one meeting Sushital shows Kajalrekha how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

“Prajapatir Janmo has a message too. That of saving the environment, which I found very interesting. It is not just entertaining,” explains Mukhopadhyay.

For Saibal, the veteran actor was the first choice. “Arunda suits the role. The telefilm is inspired by Ashok Kumar Mukherjee’s story, which was published in Desh. While reading the story I thought of making a telefilm and decided to cast Arunda. His face has a lot of character. Long beard, white hair… all that was needed for the role,” explains Saibal.

Prajapatir Janmo will be aired on Tara Muzik by end-August.