123 Kolkata: Bengali cinema's presence in competitive sections of Cannes, Venice, and Berlin diminished in recent years, with only a few contemporary films premiering at some festivals abroad. However, 2025 might mark a watershed moment. Now, ‘Baksho Bondi', directed by Tanushree Das and Sauymananda Sahi and set in Barrackpore, has been selected for the Perspectives competition at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Das was an eight-year-old schoolgirl when Buddhadeb Dasgupta's ‘Phera' vied for the Golden Bear in the main competition in 1988. It was the last time a Bengali film competed in Berlin. Perspectives, in its inaugural edition this year, will showcase 14 films competing for the Best First Feature Award. Speaking about co-directing a Bengali film that is competing in Berlin after 37 years, Das said, "It feels good. We are talking about people who are God for us. We have merely begun."
Das studied at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) before editing the Manohar Aich documentary titled ‘A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings' and the Berlin-screened ‘Eeb Aalay Ooo!', among others. She declines to yield to the narrative that insists that the international accolades for Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' are solely due to its numerous foreign co-producers. ‘BB' is an India / France / USA / Spain production with distinguished directors like Shaunak Sen, Vikramaditya Motwane, Nikkhil Advani, Prashant Nair, and music director Naren Chadravarkar contributing in various capacities to the film's production.
"They have scrutinised numerous rough cuts and provided their invaluable feedback. I call this unity in art. The contemporary Indie filmmakers, both in fiction and non-fiction, possess a remarkable sense of camaraderie and collaborative spirit. It is a movement of love, support, and care. Only that can produce good cinema again in India. As women, I shall 200% support Payal. Look at Shuchi Talati (the director of 'Girls Will Be Girls'). It doesn't matter what people say," she said.
The Barrackpore girl, who is credited for the film's story and edit, set it in the locality where she lived 25 years of her life. Her co-director husband, who is renowned for his cinematography in 'Black Warrant', 'Trial By Fire', 'All That Breathes', and 'Nasir', penned the film's script. "In contemporary Bengal, films are either crafted about the poor or the aristocracy. Then, there are the mainstream action films. But what about a film on the middle-class Bengali?" she enquired.
The film centres around Shome, who discovers that her husband — an ex-soldier afflicted with PTSD — emerges as the principal suspect in a murder investigation. She and her teenage son are compelled to resort to desperate measures to preserve their family's unity. The cast also includes Chandan Bisht, Sayan Karmakar, and Suman Saha. "I take pride in being a first-hand mother. The grit of our mums, who are the principal pillars of our society, have inspired us. We have dedicated our film to them," she said.
For two years, the director-couple took a flat on rent in Barrackpore to make the film. Its authenticity manifests in the inaugural poster portraying a sari-clad Tillotama Shome cycling – evocative of innumerable middle-class women in Kolkata's suburbs who commute this way.