Riya Sen in front of a portrait of Debaki Kumar Bose. Picture by Chanchal Ghosh

When actress Durga Khote asked for glycerin while shooting a scene that required her to cry, filmmaker Debaki Kumar Bose refused and kept raining harsh words at her till tears flowed down her cheeks.

The film was Sita and it went on to become the first film from British-ruled India to win an international award at the Venice Film Festival in 1934.

The filmmaker’s son, Deb Kumar Bose, shared the anecdote about his father at a programme to mark the 80th anniversary of the film that won gold in Venice. The print of the film is now lost.

The memorial was hosted collectively by Nandan, Films Division and Tapan Sinha Foundation.

A documentary film on the life and works of Debaki Bose, The Filmmaker & The Philosopher, was also released on the occasion. Produced by Films Division, the film has actor Barun Chanda as narrator.

“Debakibabu is one of the pillars of Indian cinema. Not only was he a filmmaking giant but also someone who introduced new things in the filmmaking technique. He was a titan who set new standards for others. I feel privileged to be a part of the documentary,” Chanda said.

Nandan also screened a festival of Bose’s films — Raidas, Bargad ki Aap Beti, Andhere se Ujale Mein, Brahmin, Ratnadeep, Kabi and Bhagaban Shree Krishna Chaitanya.

Debashis Bose, grandson of Debaki Kumar Bose and convener of the Debaki Kumar Bose Memorial Committee, called for proper archiving of films. “Sita won the gold medal in Venice but today there is no trace of the film. It is a part of our heritage that is lost forever…. In those days the audience was given booklets with tickets before entering the theatre. These included posters, lobby cards and lyrics of the songs in the film so that the audience could hum along. Those things are lost forever,” he said.

Also present on the occasion was Riya Sen, who came for her “Amma (Suchitra Sen)”. “Ma was supposed to be here today, but couldn’t attend. I’m here on her behalf. This is a big honour for me. Debaki babu gave Amma a role in Bhagaban Shree Krishna Chaitanya after which Suchitra Sen became a household name. Sadly, the film we are celebrating today is lost forever,” the actress said. Bhagaban Shree Krishna Chaitanya won a Certificate of Merit from the President.

Bose was the first director to introduce artificial lights in his film Aparadhi in 1931. The next year, his film Chandidas was the first with recorded background music. He was also the first to introduce playback in Indian cinema with the film Puran Bhagat in 1933.