The video being shot. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, Sept. 15: If singer Subhamita’s puja-special album, Moner Hodish, is any indication, Siliguri has started making its mark on the entertainment sector.

The music video for the Bengali singer’s Puja collection will be on air in a day or two and with it, Siliguri will have its first music video production on satellite channels.

“So far, filmmakers, especially from Calcutta, have come here only to shoot in the outdoor locations, while local initiatives were confined to terrestrial channels here,” said Uttorayan Deb, the director of the music video. “In our case, the entire production team is from Siliguri, including the technicians and post-production men. Even the main models, Priya and Subhendu, are from here.” The video will be aired on all major Bengali satellite channels.

The video for Bal Mon Sukh Bal, the music and lyrics for which have been composed by Nachiketa, has been shot in Sevoke and its surroundings and Baikunthapur forest.

According to Deb, there are certain initial hurdles, which they need to overcome to take the local industry forward. The constraints become far more evident when the budget is low, he said.

“Since the song does not tell a story, we had to weave in a story for the video,” Deb said. “The video tells the story of a terrorist and his relationship with his foster daughter.”

Originally a Siliguri boy, Deb left for studies and a career in Calcutta in 1986. He claimed to have made about 600 music videos before he decided to come back home to produce content for an upcoming 24-hour entertainment channel.

“Having done my bit in Calcutta, I now feel I must do something in Siliguri, which has a lot of potential in the entertainment sector. My next plan is to make feature films,” Deb said.