Unpredictable rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the sizeable audience present at the launch of filmmaker and author Joy Bimal Roy’s book Bandra-Bashir Kheror Khata, hosted by Oindrilla Dutt and I Can Flyy Tea Kafi. This volume is a collection of some of the anecdotes from his book Ramblings of a Bandra Boy, translated into Bengali by Kamalini Majumder, and published by Sunita Samanta’s La Strada.

The evening started with a short documentary film titled Bimal Roy Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, made by Nasreen Munni Kabir. The film is a tribute to Godiwala Bungalow, which had been home for legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy and his family until it was torn down shortly after the passing of his wife, Monobina Roy.

Filmmaker Goutam Ghose was the chief guest and a panellist along with Ashoke Viswanathan in the discussion. Filmmaker and actor Sudeshna Roy, the moderator of the event, started the discussion in an informal manner, conducive to the cosy, intimate atmosphere of the venue. She read passages from the book, remarking on the wonderful ability of the author to draw vivid pictures with words, based on his reminiscences.

Ghose spoke of his interactions with Bimal Roy’s family at various points in his life; his reflections, which went way beyond the book, helped to illustrate the world that inspired many of the anecdotes in the book.

Viswanathan dwelt on his days at FTII and his admiration for Bimal Roy, who is an icon in the world of Indian cinema. The passion with which Vishwanathan read out excerpts from the book added drama to the evening. The author himself recounted an episode from the book, bringing to life the humour that pervades the anecdotes in the book.

Filmmaker Raja Dasgupta, who was present among the audience, spoke about his personal memories of Godiwala Bungalow. His exchanges, including the lighthearted banter that the duo shared, evoked laughter. Kamalini Majumder briefly joined in and took the audience through her experiences of translating from the original.