Calcutta has a special place in my heart,? announced Amol Palekar, at the end of his first day?s shoot at Lahabari on Amherst Street. The actor-turned-film-maker is in town directing a Hindi TV serial commissioned by Doordarshan.

The serial is based on Krishnakali, a novel by renowned Hindi author Shivani, and is set between the 1950s and 1970s. The plot tracks the life of a woman who drifts away from normal family life and travels from one place to another. Her journey takes her to places mostly in and around Calcutta.

?The author was influenced by Bengali literature and Santiniketan and so the story has brought me here,? added the Paheli man, camping in this part of the world for a 20-day shoot. ?We have almost all the artistes from here. All the technicians are from Calcutta too.?

Palekar has picked TV actress Anjana Basu (picture below by Aranya Sen) ? who was spotted as the ghost woman in the horror film Raat Barota Panch ? to play his leading lady Krishnakali. ?It?s a tremendous range that Anjana will have to hold,? added Palekar.

The cast also includes Roopa Ganguly, Mamata Shankar, Rimjhim Mitra and Kamalika.

Palekar has just finished Thang or Quest, the last film in his trilogy on sexuality that includes Dayra and Anahat. ?The film has been shot simultaneously in Marathi and English, and I will come back to Calcutta for the release of Thang in August,? promised Palekar.