In a season of good tidings for lovers of Bengali cinema, a new Tollywood production was announced recently with legendary actress Sharmila Tagore in a pivotal role. Helmed by Suman Ghosh as director, the film, titled Puratawn, is being produced by Tollywood actress Rituparna Sengupta’s production house Bhavna Aaj O Kal.
The announcement, which came as a complete surprise, was made on September 1 at the Hotel Hindusthan International, at a briefing held in the presence of select media. Hosted by Rituparna Sengupta, it was followed by an interaction in which Sharmila Tagore chatted about the film accompanied by co-stars Rituparna Sengupta and Indraneil Sengupta.
Sharmila Tagore was her usual charming and affable self as she talked about her return to a mainstream Bengali movie after a long break of 14 years. Drawn to Calcutta by fond memories of her childhood that was spent in a large, joint family and by her love for Bengali language, literature, films, culture and everything else that is quintessentially Bengali, the Bollywood screen legend mentioned that she has never lost touch with her roots in the city.
Starring in her first Bengali film Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar when she was just 14, Sharmila Tagore went on to work with Ray in several other films including Devi, Aranyer Din Ratri, Nayak and Seemabaddha, performing opposite actors such as Soumitra Chattopadhyay and Uttam Kumar. Apart from this, her roles in Shes Anko and Nirjan Saikate also won numerous awards and acclaim in the 1960s. After a few roles in Bengali movies in the 1980s and 90s including Kalankini Kankabati and Protidan, Tagore again delivered a National Award-winning performance in Goutam Ghose’s Abar Aranye (2003), and another stellar act in Rituparno Ghosh’s murder mystery Shubho Mahurat in the same year. Her last Bengali movie was Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Antaheen (2009).
At the announcement of her upcoming movie Puratawn, the actress was humble and forthright as she outlined her reasons for choosing to take part in this project. “I have always followed and admired Rituparna’s work, since Mondo Meyer Upakhyan (directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta). So when she approached me, I was immediately interested. I have also keenly observed the work of Suman Ghosh and was fascinated by the script. After a long and successful career, I am now only interested in doing good films. I believe that this role will be challenging and I think that if I can pull it off, it’s going to be one of my better ones. I am quite excited about it,” said Tagore.
She also revealed that Puratawn (meaning old or ancient) is about the dynamics and chemistry of a mother-daughter relationship visualised from the perspective of evolving time. Though the cast was quite clear that their director had ‘instructed’ them to be tight-lipped about the plot of the film, it was revealed that the narrative was contemporary in subject and style and would lend itself to multiple interpretations. In fact, the title of the film itself could be construed in many ways and beautifully contained in its name an indication of its theme.
Rituparna, who has co-written the story along with Suman Ghosh, expressed her enthusiasm about the film as well. Besides articulating her pride and delight in getting an actress of Sharmila Tagore’s stature to be associated with it, she also lauded the efforts of her team who have worked to turn the idea of the film into reality. Puratawn is expected to go on the floors in December as soon as the location of the film is finalised after recces by the team.
“Puratawn is a very prized possession for us because of the presence of Sharmila Tagore. Bhavna Aaj O Kal has always tried to do something good and significant for the audience, and I am sure this film will be able to make its way to the hearts of the audience. It is a relatable story and has unique, interesting characters, who have been portrayed quite sensitively. Apart from that I am looking forward to acting with her because I will have the opportunity to learn so much. Our entire team is driven and motivated and I am confident that we will create something very beautiful with all our efforts,” Rituparna said.
“The story and the script are very good. We have to do justice to it,” added Tagore.
Rituparna took the opportunity to refer to her upcoming films like Beautiful Life (co-starring Tota Roy Choudhury) to mention that cinema had reached a stage when non-linear presentations, besides enhancing the artistic merit of a film, could reach out to the audience at a very fundamental level. “Puratawn also is so much more than a story of a mother and daughter. It is a universal tale and we are optimistic that it will appeal to people on many levels and make a broader impact, not only among the Bengali audience but to audiences across the world who we hope to reach out to on other platforms,” she stressed.
“It is an experimental story that leaves room for various interpretations, which I feel that the contemporary audience is now ready for,” Tagore signed off.
