Bollywood films have been instrumental in instilling patriotism in people. Movies also provide the viewer with a glimpse of the past, present, and future. In fact, many filmmakers browse through history pages to bring well-known figures to life on the big screen. One such name is that of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Intrigued by the mysterious disappearance of Bose, Bengali director Amlan Kusum Ghosh made Sannyasi Deshonayak (2020)—a film on Bose’s life. It was specially screened as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav at Films Division Auditorium, Connaught Place, on Tuesday.
Ghosh uses this film as a medium to celebrate the spirit of Bose’s unparalleled accomplishments while exploring the enigma surrounding his death. Shot in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Leh, Ladakh, and Kolkata, the filmmaker has worked with renowned names including Victor Banerjee, Saswata Chatterjee, and Locket Chatterjee in this film.
A day prior to the screening, we speak to Ghosh about choosing Netaji as muse for his film, and more. Excerpts…
You have been a filmmaker for three decades now. How has Bengali cinema evolved over the years?
Earlier, till the 70s, Bengali cinema was mostly dependent on Bengali literature. But, with the advent of our three musketeers—Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak—it has changed a lot. Also, in the last two decades, a set of new directors have come up to make it [Bengali cinema]
modern. Moreover, we have plenty of good actors and actresses now.
Does this film have anything to do with your family background of freedom fighters?
My childhood association with people like professor [and former Indian independence movement activist] Samar Guha—a pioneer in unravelling the Netaji mystery—and [former Indian politician] Hari Vishnu Kamath, who was a great parliamentarian, has a lot to do with it. I was brought up in an environment where patriotism and the strange disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose were of great importance and discussed a lot.
Netaji was an exceptional leader and his disappearance has affected many lives. What inspired you to direct a film based on him?
His uncanny disappearance and our government’s zero intervention in this post-independence has pushed me to this day. Even after 75 years of independence and almost 80 years of Netaji’s disappearance, there are so many classified files in the government’s custody.