123 Kolkata: Two documentary films, ‘Bhabatosher Karkhana' and ‘Hridaypur', based on Kolkata's Durga Puja and its theme artists, premiered at the ongoing 30th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
A new trend has emerged over the last few years where some top-level theme artists have been working on the archival process of their Durga Puja works as future references through book projects and multimedia productions. The two documentary films that were screened at the KIFF are a new addition to this trend. The 63-minute documentary film on Bhabatosh Sutar, a renowned Durga Puja artist and curator that was screened at Sisir Mancha on Sunday, received a huge response from the audience.
Dipanjan Chowdhury, an independent filmmaker, documents the life and transformation of Sutar. "Bhabatosh is one of the star artists of Kolkata's Durga Puja. Every year, he creates colossal immersive installations from basic and vernacular materials that engage millions of revelling eyes, but hardly anyone knows about his life," said Chowdhury, who first decided to work on the artist after his amazing creation in 2019 based on the title "Janmmo" (Birth) at Naktala Udayan Sangha's puja.
The film portrays the 51-year-old artist's cross-border settlement to Kolkata, followed by an acute financial crisis during his early childhood days and his orphanage life. Sutar's role as a father of a specially-abled son, his positive approach even after struggling with a life-threatening disease since 2017, and finally playing a key role in transforming the Durga Puja by redefining the form of public art has also been narrated beautifully.
"I never thought of a film on me. Rather, I requested Dipanjan to thoroughly document my Durga Puja art installations," said Sutar.
‘Hridaypur' (Heartland: Montage of Memories) is based on popular puja artist Pradip Das and the way he crafts Durga Puja art installations in Naktala Udayan Sangha's puja. Das, who is a director and a popular Durga Puja artist in recent times, said, "I try to explore the untold stories of homeless people and their struggles, nostalgia, emotions, and memories during the post-Partition periods, which I already projected in my Durga Puja themes."
"This is a part of a long-term community project we have filmed thoroughly since 2022 at Naktala and the surroundings," said Abhirup Halder, who is also a joint director and cinematographer of the 23-minute documentary. The film, screened on Saturday at Sisir Mancha, received a full house response and will again be screened on Monday at Nandan III. ‘Bhabatosher Karkhana' will be screened at Nandan III on Tuesday.
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