5 Indian films at 23rd Dhaka Int’l Film Festival sans directors
Times of India | 7 January 2025
123 Kolkata: The 23rd Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), which commences on Jan 11, is scheduled to showcase five Indian films. The quintet of Indian productions – ‘Padatik', ‘Beline', ‘Clerk', ‘In The Belly of a Tiger', and ‘Swaha (In The Name of Fire)' – will be exhibited in the festival's competitive and non-competitive segments. However, the Indian contingent is not travelling to the Dhaka festival.
In Dec last year, no Bangladeshi cinema was presented at the 30th Kolkata International Film Festival. Bidhan Rebeiro, media in charge of DIFF, told TOI, "We hope the 23rd edition of DIFF will attract the audience and film buffs as the previous year. We are excited that several good Indian films will be screened this year. Indian independent films are much appreciated in Bangladesh. We have Jatla Siddartha's ‘In The Belly of a Tiger' and Samik Roy Choudhury's ‘Beline' in the Asian competition segment, Ujjal Paul's short film ‘Clerk' in the Short and Independent Films segment, Abhilash Sharma's ‘Swaha (In The Name of Fire)' in the Spiritual Cinema category. Srijit Mukherji's ‘Padatik' will be one of the main attractions because it is a biopic of Mrinal Sen, born in Bangladesh. Renowned Bangladeshi actor Chanchal Chowdhury was cast as Mrinal Sen."
Mukherji told TOI that this will be the inaugural screening of the film in Bangladesh. "I couldn't release the film in Bangladesh but am pleased that it is finally going to be screened for the Dhaka audience," said ‘Padatik' producer Firdausul Hasan.
The director of the Bengali feature film ‘Beline', which addresses different levels of solitude, said, "Any form of art transcends religious and political turmoil. I am a global filmmaker who creates films that address universal issues. This selection affirms my belief that art surpasses such petty political boundaries." Siddhartha too is delighted that his film is competing at DIFF. "I am glad that Dhaka will watch my film which portrays an elderly couple who must decide who amongst them will venture into the forest and get killed by the tiger so that the family can claim govt compensation," said Siddartha. "Clerk is the sole Indian short film in this edition. We are grateful to the organisers for providing us this opportunity," Paul said.
A significant inclusion is Abhilash Sharma's ‘Swaha (In The Name of Fire)' in the Spiritual Cinema category that has been introduced this year to promote "cross-cultural understanding and tolerance". "The selection holds profound significance for me, as the film confronts the escalating climate of irrational fear being cultivated in our society—a fear that many of us unknowingly succumb to. In these turbulent times, I believe true spirituality is about liberating the mind from such fear and reclaiming our humanity. It's an honour to have ‘Swaha' recognised in this context," Sharma said.
However, no Indian director is attending the festival. "Budget is a constraint since this edition of DIFF is being organised on a smaller scale," said Rebeiro. The ‘Padatik' director is not attending DIFF. "I wished to attend but the organisers emailed me that they are unable to extend an invitation owing to the ‘ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh'. I believe that more cultural exchanges should occur between the two countries to strengthen our relationship," Paul said.
Roy Choudhury's producer was sent an email informing him of the selection of ‘Beline'. "I will certainly want to attend the festival if I receive an official invitation," Roy Choudhury said. Siddartha's debut film, ‘Love and Shukla', was also at DIFF. "I visited Dhaka in 2018. This time around, I feel disappointed that I am not going because of the tension," said Siddartha. Sharma regretted his inability to attend, as he previously committed to attending the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival, which coincides with this engagement.