Actor, writer & theatre personality to return state awards in protest
Times of India | 4 September 2024
1234 Kolkata: Actor Sudipta Chakraborty, playwright Chandan Sen and theatre personality Biplab Bandyopadhyay have announced their decision to return their state awards to protest against actor-turned-TMC MLA Kanchan Mallick’s comment and express solidarity with the protesting junior doctors over the RG Kar case.
According to the email sent to the state govt, Chakraborty expressed her desire to return the Special Film Award given for her contribution to cinema by the information & culture department of the state govt and the prize money of Rs 25,000.She took the decision in “the wake of the current status” of the state and the “related comments” made by Mallick. “I will continue my demand for justice, both legal and social, standing on the road,” Chakraborty said.
On Tuesday, Sen told TOI: “I am over 80 now. For the last 52 years, I have been associated with Bengali theatre. In the last few days, I have been noticing that many govt portfolio-holders are misusing their status to make statements that are insulting those like us who, while ignoring our health constraints, have served theatre without any political agenda. I want to return the ‘Dinabandhu Mitra Award’ which I got in 2017 and the award money of Rs 25,000 to the state govt,” he added.
On Feb 1 this year, Bandyopadhyay of Prachyo theatre group was conferred the best director award for the play “Dae Amadero”. “From Kanchan Mallick’s comments, I got to know that the govt expects unconditional loyalty from artists for conferring us with awards. I refuse to toe the line. Hence, I am returning the award and the sum of Rs 30,000 that was awarded to me. The price of my spine is slightly higher than the govt’s award and this sum. My spine is not up for sale,” he wrote.