The case of the laureate in London

A Bengali film borrowing elements from Rabindranath Tagore’s life and selected at IFFI offers validation while promising visibility to an industry making films despite significant time and money constraints

My first time in IFFI Goa was for the film Moner Manush [based on the life of Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, poet and reformer Lalon Fakir] where I played Jyotirindranath Tagore and now the team is there again for a film where I have played Rabindranath Tagore. It’s uncanny,” actor Priyanshu Chatterjee tells us over a video call. Rabindra Kabya Rahasya, a Bengali mystery film which weaves in details from the Nobel Laureate’s life straddling past and present, and features Bengali actors like Ritwick Chakraborty and Srabanti Chatterjee has been selected in the “Indian Panorama” section of the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) this year. It is also the only Bengali film among works selected from around the world nominated for the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal, an award presented since 2015 to films promoting peace and inter-cultural dialogue.

Chatterjee remembers travelling to Kolkata for a look test where the team tested on him appearances from five-six different stages of the poet’s life, right from the age of 27 all the way through to 80. It was also the meeting with the director for a role which he describes as “symbolic rather than dialogue-heavy” that sealed the deal. “I was so impressed by him not just as a human being but also as a director because of his temperament. He gives you the space to play around with what’s available in the given circumstances and bring it to life.” Despite the burden of responsibility that comes with playing such an iconic character, “it was a challenge I could take on given that the team was so good. I would not have even thought about doing it [otherwise]. I’m grateful that it just fell into my lap.”

Sayantan Ghosal, Himanshu Dhanuka and Priyanshu Chatterjee

Producer Himanshu Dhanuka speaks of how he had been on the lookout for stories set in London ever since his company Eskay Movies set up a studio in the city about four years ago. “It was around that time that I found out that Rabindranath’s grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore, an entrepreneur and trader, was buried at the Kensal Green Cemetery in London. I became fascinated with the legacy of the Tagore family. As I delved more into their history, I realised that Tagore had travelled a lot between India and London at the turn of the century. As I started to research, I also realised that there had been a resurgence of controversies related to his cultural supremacy, and these gave me ideas that I thought could be brought together.” It was writer Sougata Basu who then gave the story the form of a treasure hunt, even as he combined it with facts from Tagore’s life and accomplishments.

“It is an emotional mystery film,” says director Sayantan Ghosal who has worked extensively in the detective and thriller genre with films like Satyanweshi Byomkesh on the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi and Tenida and Co. based on a novel by Bengali author Narayan Gangopadhyay. “It’s about the kind of books I grew up reading,” says the director when we ask him about his continued interest in the genre. “I’ve always been a reader. I read more books than I watch movies. Satyajit Ray’s ‘Feluda’ has been a favourite. I’ve also grown up watching adventure films directed by Steven Spielberg like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. So, the interest perhaps came from there. I have explored other genres like dramas but I keep coming back to thrillers and mysteries because that’s my first love.”

For the team, moreover, the recent national recognition is a ray of hope not just for the film’s prospects but also for other films coming out of Bengal. When it comes to representations of cultural icons like Tagore, audiences tend to get sceptical, says Dhanuka. But the IFFI badge will work like an affirmation, he believes. “We have passed that litmus test. It will hugely affect the future of the film and its business both nationally and internationally.” 

“Making a film of this scale when it comes to Bengali cinema is difficult. We don’t have the money or time that it takes to make such films. Twenty days for a Bengali film is a lot. We don’t have a big market either. So, pulling a subject like this off and that too in London is very difficult,” says Ghosal, crediting his producers for believing in the project. “It’s great exposure that is desperately needed by Bengali cinema,” agrees Chatterjee. “Usually, on the national platform, even if it’s a brilliant Bengali movie, to see or even hear about it in Bombay is a rarity. So, when a film like this gets screenings on national platforms like IFFI, it makes the national news and gets us exposure where audiences as well as people who want to invest come alive to 
that possibility.”

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