In the 44th death anniversary month of Ritwik Ghatak, a documentary film made on the filmmakaer by his son Ritaban will be screened this Friday at 5pm at Nazrul Tirtha, hall 3. The half-hour documentary is titled Asamapto Ritwik. Entry is free.

A discussion on Ghatak’s film Nagarik, starring Prova Debi, Sova Sen and Kali Banerjee, will take place between Sanjoy Mukhopadhyay of the film studies department, Jadavpur University, and artist Hiran Mitra.

A booklet containing information on Nagarik will also be launched.

Says Arindam Saha Sardar of Jibansmriti Digital Archive, who has compiled the information in the booklet: “Ghatak wrote the script for Nagarik in 1950-51. The funding was a collaborative effort. The film was completed in 1953. But despite all formalities being completed, the film’s release got halted due to some technical fault of the distributors. Even then, reportedly, the film was screened for two days in Howrah through individual enterprise. Later, in 1956, another effort was made to release the film which did not bear fruit. Finally the film was released after Ghatak’s death in 1977 — Ghatak died in 1976 — when it ran in New Empire for a week.”

Meanwhile, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali released in 1955. Saha Sardar feels had Ghatak’s film, which was the first to depict on celluloid the post-World War II trauma of the Bengali middle class, released on time, the history of Bengali cinema could have taken a different turn.

The booklet will contain advertisements he has traced that came out in the magazine Gananatya, edited by Salil Chowdhury, articles on the film written by Ghatak and Purnendu Pattrea as well as a portrait by Mitra.

Ritwik Ghatak The Telegraph file picture