April 26, 2024 13:31 (IST)
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Now a soap on partition miseries and the fightback
Kolkata, Sept 19 (IBNS) With two ambitious partition themed feature films set to hit big screens, the telly soap segment in Bengal is now all set to join the bandwagon bringing out the agony of a partition-hit couple.
"Aaj Aari Kal Bhab' talks about an elderly woman dislodged from her Faridpur dwelling in erstwhile East Bengal to a predominantly middle class locality in south Kolkata's Hindustan Park area and how her young son harks back to the roots thus connecting the two border frontiers," Director Biswajit Ganguly says on a location visit to the sets.
"We wish to use footage of the partition times, of citizens suddenly turning refugees and crossing over to other side, to bring home the story of hardship but again it is also of how people turn adversity into prosperity. The character of the 65-year old partition affected Gayatri, played by Chitra Sen, is an example," Biswajit, having been associated with big TRP projects like Ogo Bodhu Sundari and Bou Katha Kao, says.
The centre of attraction rests on a typical Kolkata bungalow Madhukunjo with European-Bengali architectural blend which the displaced woman, the mistress of the household, slowly converts into a byloon, merging a heritage residence with a bistro where curios can be sold.
"Madhukunja is a metaphor in more than one way. It captures the resilience of the partition-stricken Bengalee. It mirrors the state of flux in Bengal society caught between past and modernity, it is the life story of the 60s-70s generation and the present day children of the families who are also reverential to the past.," Chitra, a known name in the small screen world, says.
"The modern day story part also finally heads back to the other side of border as the new age characters are in quest of their roots but how and when will be known only after the telecast," Biwajit says.
"Actually we had sought to make it a full length feature film for big screen, a film on partition travails, but when the channel's offer came we tailored the story line in mega soap format without compromising the spirit," Biswajt says.
"I play a today's girl Piku who drives a scooter, plays football, cricket and even kick-boxing and yet fosters the love for heritage in the mind of Gayatri's anglicized son Ishan (Sourav) and the two of us finally undertake the search for our roots, which become the search for root for every youngster whose forefathers have been driven away from their land. This much I can say," says Sreeparna, the young female lead of the soap.
The new show, possibly a welcome break from the usual synthetic tales of urban relationships or family tearjerkers, will be aired on the Star Jalsha channel on all days of week, from September 21, 10:30 pm.
The soap coincides with Srijit Mukherjee's partition-themed film Rajkahini with an ensemble cast of senior and young actors, and Sankhocheel starring Prosenjit Chatterjee by Goutam Ghosh.
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