More than a year after the standoff between the Federation and the Directors Association of Eastern India reached its peak, actor-filmmaker Parambrata Chattopadhyay has formally distanced himself from the legal proceedings that once brought parts of the Tollywood industry to a temporary halt.
The dispute began last year with a ban on filmmaker Rahool Mukherjee and escalated steadily, ultimately requiring the intervention of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to ease the growing tension between the two groups.
Despite the temporary resolution, several directors later filed a defamation case against Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India president Swarup Biswas, with Parambrata among the complainants.
In a video message posted on social media on Thursday, Parambrata said that the case filed against the federation had been impulsive and acknowledged that the decision was a misjudgment.
“Many of you may know that for the past year, there had been disagreements, differences of opinion, misunderstandings and miscommunication between myself, some of my colleagues, and the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India. Standing at this moment, I am highly optimistic that we will be able to put aside all misunderstandings and differences, and work together hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder,” he said in the video.
“I have already informed the media that I cannot speak for others; they will take their own decisions. However, I have personally decided that I will no longer associate myself with any legal process. I am not doing so now, and I will not do so in the future,” the filmmaker added.
Speaking to The Telegraph Online, Parambrata said, “This thing could have been prolonged legally. That would have become indefinite and would have caused further bitterness and damage on both sides. After all we are people who are in the creative business and have known each other for decades. We wish to work for the betterment of things. [So] we decided to do that together, within ourselves by burying the hatchet.”