Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee speaks at the launch of a branch of SMPAi in Jyotinagar near Siliguri on Friday.

The Calcutta-based institute that has branches in Durgapur, Barasat and Behala will offer courses on modelling and performing arts.

"Very few places offer diverse landscape and north Bengal is one of them. I still believe there is a vast scope for setting up a film city here because of this unique quality. In fact, Bengal has become a prominent shooting locale for films. Filmmakers are coming to shoot in north Bengal and just a few years ago, Barfi! was shot here...," the actor said.

Talking about a film city in the region, he said: "Some time back, the government had invited tenders for setting up a film city in north Bengal but there was just one company that bid for the project and that company was mine. As there was only one bidder, the tender did not materialise. But if tomorrow somebody says that you have been given the duty to set up a film city, I will definitely take it up. I am ready for it."

Referring to Mamata Banerjee's second term as the chief minister Prosenjit said: "There is a big function in Calcutta. She (Mamata Banerjee) was hopeful that I would attend it but I came here because I had committed long before. My film Praktan released in 26 cities, apart from Bengal, and this institute, too, was inaugurated. So, in all, it is a good day."

SMPAi offers one-year diploma courses in acting and modelling, media science and communication and music and a three-year diploma course in dance.

Samrat Mukherji, the institute principal and managing director, said: "We have 75 students in the modelling and acting course and 240 in the dance course. Classes will start from tomorrow. We plan to start the music course by October. The fee is around Rs 35,000 for each. For the dance course, it is Rs 800 per month ."

Signing off, Prosenjit said: "I have come here not as a star but because I know the owners for a long time. North Bengal has a lot of talent ... Any newcomer who works with grit and dedication will surely be successful."

Text by Mrinalini Sharma; picture by Kundan Yolmo