Ghose during the shooting of his film. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, June 13: It is time the film-industry left the cities to explore the romance and beauty of the areas like north Bengal.

In town to promote his latest offering Abar Aranye, filmmaker Gautam Ghose said: “North Bengal is a treasure trove of natural beauty and it has immense potential to grow and develop. Ever since the film was released in Calcutta five weeks ago, people have been asking me about the locales, which they are eager to visit.”

“Many filmmakers are also keen on shooting here,” he added.

The film, a sequel to Satyajit Ray’s 1969 classic Aranyer Din Ratri, was shot almost entirely in the forests of north Bengal last year, particularly Chalsa, Metili, Gorumara and Murti.

Voluble in praise of the diversity of the region, Ghose christened Dooars a “mini-India, with so many different types of people, cultures and tradition co-existing. The only connecting fibre is the tea industry, which is dying day by day”.

“It is sad the so-called educated elite know little about this wonderland. They do not bother to know of the people here, who are getting marginalised with each passing day for several reasons. It was this apparent dichotomy that I tried to show through my film,” he said.

The film portrays the journey of a group of people from Calcutta to the Dooars forest. Through Arpita’s (played by Bollyood actress Tabu) experience with the tribals, for whom she develops a soft-corner, Ghose has tried to portray the socio-economic life of the ethnic groups.

“It was a marvellous experience shooting in this area and I would love to come back again,” Ghose said.

Ghose’s earlier film Dekha, starring Jaya Bachchan and son Abhishek Bachchan, was also shot in the forests of the Dooars. “The more I know of this region, the more I feel is left for me to know. It is intriguing and I am sure very soon others will also feel the same way too,” he said.

However, it is also for the local residents to make the best of resources at their disposal, he said.

Asked about the conversion of the rail line between Siliguri and Alipurduar from meter-gauge to broad gauge, Ghose said: “It is a great threat to the natural beauty of the region. It is a heavy price that nature will pay for the cause of development.”