Latest news with #Karpoor
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
A cold case, a TMC leader's film debut, and a burning question: What happened to Manisha Mukhopadhyay?
It is one of the most famous cold cases in West Bengal. One fine day in early September 1997, senior Calcutta University (CU) official Manisha Mukhopadhyay disappeared without a trace, leaving behind an elderly mother who believed her daughter's disappearance was linked to her proximity to Left Front bigwigs at the time and never gave up looking for her. Now, over a quarter of a century later, the story of Mukherjee's disappearance is set to come to the big screen in director Arindam Sil's next film Karpoor (Camphor) starring Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Kunal Ghosh and Bratya Basu, a state minister. While people involved in the film said Ghosh's character was loosely based on then CPI(M) state secretary Anil Biswas, one of the most powerful leaders at the time, Ghosh told The Indian Express, 'It is based on a political thriller. I am acting as the state secretary of a political party. But that doesn't mean that I am playing Anil Biswas. This is my debut film, and I asked Arindam to tutor me in the art of acting.' Mukhopadhyay was the assistant controller of examinations at Calcutta University, and this resulted in her proximity to frontline CPI(M) leaders at the time. According to her mother Chinu, who later moved court alleging that her daughter had been murdered, the CU official knew many secrets, and this was the reason for her disappearance. According to reports at the time, on the day of her disappearance, Mukhopadhyay was on her way from the city's Bhowanipore area to visit her parents in south Kolkata and got into a cab with her husband and nephew. After her husband alighted from the cab on the way, the CU official and her nephew continued on their way, but a few yards down the road, Mukhopadhyay told her nephew to get down from the taxi. He initially refused but eventually got down near the city's Golpark area, and the taxi sped away. That was the last time anyone saw Mukhopadhyay. The police struggled to make much headway, and the investigation subsequently stalled. Two years later, after Chinu Mukhopadhyay found some photographs among her daughter's belongings, the police again reopened the case. This time, the police received several reports of Mukhopadhyay being sighted, from an ashram in Purulia to Bodh Gaya to Assam. But no solid lead materialised, leaving the probe faltering again. Before entering politics, Ghosh was a political reporter and editor and, according to people in the TMC, used to be close to Anil Biswas. 'Kunal da was very close to many CPI(M) leaders, including Anil Biswas, and he saw Biswas closely. So, he is an ideal choice for the role,' said a senior TMC leader. Bratya Basu, the state education minister, will play a detective who investigates the case.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Film with TMC netas to tell story of Calcutta University official Manisha Mukhopadhyay, who vanished like 'karpoor' in CPM era
KOLKATA: One of Bengal's enduring "political" mysteries - the 1997 disappearance of a senior Calcutta University official believed to have been close to seniors in the erstwhile Left Front regime - is going to come alive on silver screen, with several senior netas from other side of the political spectrum playing pivotal roles. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The storyline of the film 'Karpoor (Camphor)' revolves around the sudden disappearance of CU assistant controller of examinations Manisha Mukhopadhyay in Sept 1997. She left behind an elderly mother, who kept looking for her before giving up. Mukhopadhyay's appointment to a key post in the state's biggest university, her "proximity" to frontline CPM netas some of whom survive till this day and her sudden disappearance - just like camphor (karpoor in Bengali) - came to be seen in academic and political circles as representing the total politicisation of the education sys-tem under the LF regime. Politicians - from the party now in office in Bengal - play key roles in the film, adding to the chatter around the film. Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh plays the all-powerful state CPM secretary, Anil Biswas, and state education minister Bratya Basu enacts the role of a former homicide section officer-in-charge posted at Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters. "The movie bears a resemblance with an interesting case. The retired police officer recounts how he probed the case and the obstacles he faced," Basu said about his role. Actor Saheb Chattopadhyay plays a character having "shades of" current LF chairman Biman Bose but TMC spokesperson Ghosh's performance as the soft-spoken, mild-mannered Biswas - credited for CPM's durability and its all-steamrolling "party machinery" - may be the most keenly watched. Ghosh has often expressed his admiration for Biswas's political acumen. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Crime thriller rooted in real political event' Different theories floated around Mukhopadhyay's disappearance with occasional reports of her being spotted in Nepal, Goa, and a temple near Purulia's Ayodhya Hills. The movie, based on Dipanwita Roy's novel 'Antardhaner Nepathye (Behind the Disappearance)', will trace the circumstances behind her disappearance and the probe," director Arindam Sil said. Eight months of research, involving documents, court papers and interviews, led Sil to believe the CU official left "the trail of a scam involving incredible amounts of cash". Bundles of mark sheets were allegedly found at her home. A CPM veteran flagged her disappearance in 1997, the case was reopened in 1999, but then closed for lack of evidence amid allegations that some CPM seniors had "blocked the probe". "This is the time for idea- and concept-driven movies and this subject has several layers and unanswered questions," said producer Firdausul Hasan. "The Bengali audience's tastes have evolved with exposure to international films and diverse content, and 'Karpoor' - being a crime thriller rooted in a real political event - fits the bill. Our approach will not sensationalize the subject. It will offer viewers a layered exploration of social, political and psychological complexities. " CPM leaders differ. "It is a political ploy to tarnish the party's image. The case was shut long ago and the allegations were found to be baseless. Trinamool leaders should focus more on the current flaws in the system rather than dig up the past," said CPM veteran Rabin Deb.
