Alipurduar, June 10: Director Goutam Ghosh had promised that his film, Moner Manush, would be screened at Chilapata after its release. The film-maker kept his words and yesterday evening around 300 villagers enjoyed the movie at a private resort here.

The two-and-a-half-hour feature film was screened around 7pm with the help of a projector set up at the resort.

Ghosh was present during the screening along with his wife and an assistant.

An important part of Moner Manush was shot in the Chilapata forest in December 2009.

For 14 days actors Prosenjit, Paoli Dam and several artistes from Bangladesh had stayed in the village for the shoot.

On the last day of shooting, Ghosh had promised the residents of Chilapata that he would screen the film here.

“The day we came to know that Moner Manush got a number of awards, we felt that it is us who got the award because a vital portion of the film was shot here in Chilapata forest for 14 days. We often recounted that Goutam Sir had promised us to show the film when he would come here again. Yesterday we were very happy as he kept his promise. Almost 300 people had come to see the film,” said Tarapada Roy, a villager.

The director said the people of Chilapata had helped them a lot during the shoot.

“I had promised the villagers that I would show them the film and so I have come. In many places we assure the villagers, but fail to go. But I have come here and I am very happy. The local people helped us to make the complete set of a village but one night elephants damaged it. Within a short time the residents built the set again. Without their help we could not have shot the movie here,” Ghosh said.

The film-maker added that many directors from Mumbai are interested in shooting in north Bengal.

“North Bengal has a lot of scope because from the Dooars film makers can easily reach Bhutan, Nepal, Assam and the Northeast. West Bengal is the only state in the country which has the Himalayas and the sea on each side. It is a big tourism package”