Poster of Ritvik Ghatak’s film ‘Amar Lenin’. , Photo Credit: IMDB
A planned screening of Ritvik Ghatak Amar Lenin Documentary and its seminal feature Gentle gathered On February 10, a state run by a state in Kolkata was allegedly canceled due to objections from local ruling party supporters, in which the political content of films is considered unsuitable for an educational institution.
A cultural organization Natla Setu, a cultural organization in South Kolkata, planned a screening to celebrate the birth centenary of Ghatak.
However, a few days before the incident, on 5 February, school officials withdrew their permission citing “some events”, on ONK Roy, a spokesperson of the organization said on Thursday.
Roy said, “Headmaster was excited about the screening in the beginning when he contacted us in the third week of January, even mentioning that he was a fan of Ghatak. But after 5 February, he was under pressure It was and informed us that the screening had problems.
As a result, the NGO, who has also been active in organizing protests for social justice and community engagement, arranged for roadside screening in the nearby Bidhan Pali area, where hundreds of people attended.
The headmaster of Nakartala High School claimed that the cancellation was due to other busyness and not external pressure. However, another school official said that some parents had expressed concern about one of the films in the package-Amar Lenin—To for your strong political content.
The official said that there was no objection to Komal Gandhid, which depicts the struggles of the people forced to flee after partition of India.
Amar Lenin (1970), to celebrate the birth of Vladimir Lenin, to face early censorship issues, which were later waived after intervention by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Komal Gandhadh Is part of the famous trilogy of Ghatak, which is also included Cloud dhaka star And Subunarkha From the 1960s. The cultural influence of the later side of the latter film and the experiences of refugees from East Pakistan have been investigated.
This is not the first time a film with political subjects has faced resistance in Bengal.
Years ago, Bhabisoter Bhoot of Left-Hukali filmmaker Anik Dutta faced similar issues during his theater screening, which was triggering road opposition.
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The film was later released after the Supreme Court intervention. While the theater owners claimed that the film was drawn due to poor box office performance, Dutta and others argued that it was targeted for its anti -establishment.
Many Bengali filmmakers and actors refused to comment on the issue, stating that they would prefer to understand the facts before making any statements.
Published – 14 February, 2025 10:15 AM IST
