Nazrul Tirtha will start screening movies from today. The opening films are the Bengali Basanta Eshe Geche and Hindi Drishyam.
The complex originally built to facilitate research on poet Kazi Nazrul Islam was inaugurated in New Town on the poet’s 115th birth anniversary by chief minister Mamata Banerjee last year. The educational and research centre was to have a library and music encyclopaedia.
“For long, we have been trying hard to turn Nazrul Tirtha into a cultural hub for residents of Salt Lake and New Town. The venue has been hosting theatre shows, exhibitions etc. but films are sure to benefit residents and increase footfall,” said Debashis Sen, the chairman cum managing director of Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) that runs the complex. “Together with Mother’s Wax Museum, Rabindra Tirtha and Eco Park, Nazrul Tirtha can become a focal point of culture in the north-east of the city, much like Sisir Mancha and Nandan in central Calcutta.”
While the promised library is yet to open, Nazrul Tirtha has a museum, an exhibition hall, open-air theatre space, a seminar hall that can accommodate 200 people and a mini audio-visual auditorium for 100 people. There is also a cafeteria. The films will be screened at the 400-seater main auditorium that would usually host cultural programmes.
“People are still allowed to book this hall if they do so well in advance. In that case, we won’t screen films there that day,” said Sen. “While we are screening commercial films as they are bound to be money-spinners, we shall also screen films for a serious audience. We had hosted a chapter of the Kolkata International Film Festival here last year too.”
At present, there will be four shows a day, at noon, 2.30pm, 5.30pm and 8pm and Sen claims tickets will be cheaper than in the nearest hall in Axis Mall. Ticket prices will not vary with show times.
Despite the diversification, the centre remains committed to its original motive, he insisted. “We have rooms for scholars where they can stay and research on Nazrul. We are in talks with the government to further improve the centre,” said Sen.
