WB-FILM-APARNA

It's important to talk about issue-based politics: Aparna Sen
on her latest film
    Supratik Sengupta
    Kolkata, Nov 3 (PTI) Filmmaker Aparna Sen has said her
latest outing 'Ghawre Baire Aaj', a contemporary adaptation of
Rabindranath Tagore's iconic novel 'Ghare Baire' (The Home and
the World), is a reflection of the present-day society.
    Sen, who had been vocal about several socio-political
issues, asserted that it was necessary to talk about politics
at play at different levels and its impact on common people.
    "In my first films, it was all about gender politics.
I have done films based on the lives of marginalised people
and the differently abled. I have also made films on
communalism. So there can be politics at different levels in
the society. It is important we talk about these issues."
    'Ghare Baire', originally adapted by auteur Satyajit
Roy, is a romantic drama set in the early 20th century, when
the country was fighting its struggle for freedom.
    Sen said she wanted to give the story a contemporary
touch for the audience to be able to relate its circumstances
to the current scenario in the country.
    "In Tagore's novel, Bimala, the female protagonist, is
an upper caste Hindu woman. In my film, she is a Dalit woman.
We usually show urban societies in our films, talk about upper
and middle class people. The Dalits and the tribals remain
largely unrepresented," She told PTI.
    The National Award-winning filmmaker said the idea for
her new venture struck her after she came to know about
journalist Gauri's Lankesh's murder in September 2017.
    "The day Lankesh died (on September 5, 2017), I could
not sleep the whole night. I was disturbed. I knew I wanted to
make a film on the present-day society and what better than
Tagore's 'Ghare Baire' for a premise.
    "After consulting my friends and family, I decided to
narrate Tagore's story in a new format, set in the modern day.
Every time I make a film, I set on a new journey," she said.
    Lankesh, a journalist-turned-activist, was a
vociferous critic of right-wing Hindu extremism and the caste
system. She was shot dead outside her home in Bangalore.
    'Ghawre Bairey Aj', starring Jisshu Sengupta, Anirban
Bhattacharya and Tuhina Das in lead roles, will hit the
theatres on November 15.
    Asked if she foresaw any adverse reaction after the
film is released, Sen said, "I can't foresee anything, I can
only make my statement through my work, not only as an artist
but a politically conscious human being. Then it is up to the
audience to react." PTI SUS
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)