Mrinal Sen tribute film directed by Anjan Dutt to be screened in 29th KIFF

Kolkata, Nov 16 (PTI) The 29th Kolkata International Film Festival, scheduled to begin on December 5, will screen ‘Chalchitra Ekhon’, a movie directed by Anjan Dutt to pay tribute to auteur Mrinal Sen on his 100th birth anniversary.

The film dwells on the real-life experiences of Dutt about Sen, who had first cast him in 'Chalchitra' (The Kaleidoscope) in 1981.

Dutt, the versatile director, actor and musician, considers Sen as his mentor.

As their relationship grew later on, Dutt was cast in several Mrinal Sen’s films, including 'Kharij', (The case is closed, 1982) and 'Antareen' (The confined, 1993).

'This is the centenary year of Mrinal Sen. The movie will be in the competition section as the only Bengali feature film,' an official of the KIFF said on Thursday.

This edition of KIFF will have a tribute section on Sen, the legendary filmmaker.

Names of films in the tribute section, including restored versions of Sen-directed classics, will be announced later, he said.

Mrinal Sen, who explored the social milieu of contemporary West Bengal and its political issues in his films, died in 2018 at the age of 95.

His notable films include 'Akash Kusum' (Up in the Clouds, 1965), 'Bhuvan Shome' (Mr Shome, 1969), 'Ek Din Pratidin' (And Quiet Rolls the Dawn, 1979) and 'Akaler Sandhane' (In Search of Famine, 1980), besides the Calcutta trilogy - Interview (1971), 'Calcutta 71' (1972), and 'Padatik' (The Guerrilla Fighter, 1973).

Dutt also produced the film 'Chalchitra Ekhon'.

Dutt had earlier told PTI that he did not want the film to be produced by anyone else as he wanted to show the chemistry “between the anglicized boy and the director –who is much older – and replies in Bengali.” It also painted the picture of the relations that had unfolded between them over a period.

'Very few know about the crazy incidents that had occurred during the shoots. There won’t be fiction in the film,” Dutt had added. PTI SUS BDC