That the 19th century mystic bard Lalon Fakir continues to inspire filmmakers of India and Bangladesh is once again evident as Indian helmer Gautam Ghosh's latest project is near completion.
A few years ago, leading Bangladeshi director Tanvir Mokammel did a feature film on Lalon with Raisul Islam Asad in title role. Ghosh's movie, "Moner Manush" has Tollywood (mainstream film industry of Kolkata) star Prosenjit as the bard.
Ghosh has just completed the Bangladesh part of shooting for his period film at Tangua Haor, and Kusthia where Lalon, who espoused Hindu-Muslim unity, was born.
Ghosh said that he is fascinated by the Sufi philosophy of Lalon
Fakir and has been meaning to make a film on him. "When communal riots broke out in India after the Babri Mosque demolition, I finally decided to make the film," he said.
But still the film did not happen till he came across author Sunil Gangopadhyay's piece on Lalon.
The director said "Moner Manush", which is expected to be released in May this year, with its strong message of secularism would appeal to people who reject religious obscurantism and caste-class divides.
Ghosh was very particular on shooting in Bangladesh because he could never have been satisfied had the location been elsewhere for the feel of the place would have been missing.
Ghosh was all in praise of Prosenjit who, he said, got into the skin of the wandering minstrel. "He (Prosenjit) withdrew into a shell for days to understand the character, restricting his diet and growing long hair and beard to live the role," the director said.
Ghosh also said Bollywood art director Samir Chanda has done a "fantastic job" by recreating the period of Lalon Fakir and had constructed a whole colony made of bamboo and straw on the marshland at the village dotted by bamboo groves.
"I hope the setting will literally transport viewers to those days," Ghosh said.
Bangladeshi producer Habibur Rahman Khan and Kolkata producer Goutam Kundu are jointly making the bi-lingual film whose post-production work would begin soon.
This is the second time Ghosh is shooting a film with co-production of India and Bangladesh after his "Padma Nadir Majhi" in the 1990s. That film, starring Champa and Raisul Islam Asad of Bangladesh and Rupa Ganguly, Utpal Dutt, Robi Ghosh of India among others, was shot in Chandpur district.
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