Tell us a bit about the ongoing festival.

I don’t think from our generation onward people have seen Ritwik Ghatak on big screens. So, that was the idea which we were discussing with Samhita Ghatak (Ghatak’s daughter) because I also knew her brother very well. Ritwik Ghatak’s son used to be in college with me. So, while chatting with them we came upon this idea of having a film festival on him because people haven’t seen his films enough. There is probably a curiosity where Ritwik Ghatak is concerned. People hear about Ghatak, but other than a snippet here and there, they haven’t seen the films, so why not try a few films.

Who came up with this idea?

It just came up. We had this discussion in December and that’s how it happened.

How many films will be screened?

Six films. Nagorik was on 8th, Meghe Dhaka Tara on 9th, you’ve got Komal Gandhar on 10th, Subarnarekha on 11th, Titas- Ekti Nadir Naam on 12th and Jukti, Tokko ar Golpo on 13th. These films will be shown from 7 p.m. onward at Priya.
 
Why did you choose these six films?

There were no other options. These were the only ones available, You see, a lot of Ghatak’s films had no prints in the market. They were not available. We have able to blow these up through the digital mode and we will be screening them.

Is this some kind of a pre-Poila Boisakh gift to the Bengali cine lovers from your side?

Exactly, that’s what we thought. Let this be a run up to Poila Baisakh.

Any particular reason why Goutam Ghosh inaugurated the festival?

Goutam da’s new movie Shankhachil is coming out on the 14th and he was close to Ritwik Ghatak. So, that was the plan.

What’s your favourite Ritwik Ghatak movie? How inspired are you by his movies?

See, for me it was just a tribute. I have not seen any of his films to say that I have been inspired by them. I don’t see too many films.

Who’s your favourite director?

Kaushik Ganguly and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury from the present crop of directors, Satyajit Ray is my all time favourite filmmaker. I have loved his movies. Feluda series and Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen are my favourites.

Why do you think while Ray enjoyed this continuous success but Ghatak couldn't quite catch up to him?

I am not eligible enough to answer that question. But see, even apart from a few films, Ray’s pictures too didn’t make a lot of money at that point. It is just now that people are watching them. As far as I remember, apart from the Apu Trilogy and Gupi Gayen, none of his films found instant success.

Do you still enjoy Feluda?

Of course. Sonar Kella ‘holey’ I’ll watch it again and again. But I’m into Manik da’s Feluda. I somehow liked the flow of his movies.

Do you think Ghatak was way ahead of his time?

I am not entirely capable of answering that. I am not a art critic, I’m more on the business side.

Is this going to be a PEPL calendar event?

Let’s see how it goes. The reactions so far have been very positive. People have been very encouraging, but it all depends on how things pan out for us. If it turns out well, it can be done every year.   

How many celebrities are attending the event?

I don’t know about the celebrities. I am not really handling that side, but we kept around 100 seats for the first day and about 50 each for the remaining days for them.

What’s your expectation from this one?

I think people should come and see it. A lot of them kept contacting me through social media, asking me to keep tickets for all the shows. And like I said, it is a pre-Poila Baisakh gift for all Ritwik Ghatak film lovers.


(Images by Subhodeep Sardar/IBNS)