Latest news with #Puratawn
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Good work leading to more work is a myth: Brishti Roy
Brishti Roy, who won hearts as Heera in Purataw n , spoke to us about collaborating with Sharmila Tagore , the unpredictable nature of the film industry, and why she prefers authenticity — on screen and in life. You worked with legendary actress Sharmila Tagore. Tell us about your experience. I was nervous — Sharmila ma'am has a timeless grace — but she instantly put me at ease by holding my hand and saying, 'Such a sweet girl you are.' It felt like fantasy blending into reality. One chilly shoot day by the Ganges, she saw me trying to warm my hands and wrapped them in her shawl. Another time, she noticed me knitting and said, 'Show me? You're quite good.' Our bond was quiet, warm, and genuine. Watching her taught me how to act with ease and make strangers feel like family. After 14 years of struggle, I've finally received recognition. But even then, no major offers have come in since Puratawn . That's the reality here. You just have to stay patient and keep going : Brishti Roy I want to chase roles that move me: Brishti Roy How did you bag Heera's (the caregiver of Mrs Sen's played by Sharmila Tagore) character in Suman Ghosh 's Purataw n ? I came on board purely through auditions, which I take pride in. I've always preferred earning roles over using references—it strengthens my confidence. Sabarni Das had mentioned me to Suman da, and his assistant soon called me in. I had no clue about the film's scale or that Sharmila Tagore was making a comeback. Only after two rounds of auditions and being selected did I learn who else was involved. Since the release, the response has been overwhelming. Brishti Roy tries her hand at knitting with Sharmila Tagore on the set of Puratawn You were a familiar face on television for nearly a decade. Why the shift? Television pays well, but it demands long hours. It's hard to juggle other work alongside. Had I been locked into a serial, I might've missed out on Puratawn . I've chosen uncertainty over comfort, chasing roles that move me. I'm also excited to explore more layered roles on OTT. Do you watch a lot of movies? All kinds — good and bad. I actually learned English by watching subtitled films. Coming from a Bengali-medium background, Hollywood classics helped me grasp the language. Tell us about your next projects. I've completed Kalponik by Arko Mukherjee, which is part of this year's Kolkata International Film Festival . I'm also in The National Furniture Since 1935 by Ajay Kanujia, where I acted alongside Sanjay Mishra—I play the only female character in the film. 'I brought Heera to life with gestures and details that felt personal and familar' When I got the script, Suman da (Ghosh) encouraged me to rewrite Heera in my own words. I added small gestures and mannerisms to make her feel real. It was my idea for Heera to call Sharmila ma'am 'Thammi,' which Suman da liked and added to the script. My college days at Bangabasi were invaluable. I used to commute by local trains and would often overhear conversations between domestic workers heading home. That's where I picked up the dialect, body language, tone, and rhythm — and wove those details into Heera. Brishti Roy with her pet bird, Jojo I love spending time with my bird, Jojo, talking to my orchids, and cycling. Jojo roams free and travels with me. We went to the mountains together and it was so peaceful : Brishti Roy Pix: Anindya Saha Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . And don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Indian cinema is increasingly striking a chord with global audiences
Indian cinema, irrespective of the region or language of making, has increasingly been striking a chord with global audiences, says actor-producer Rituparna Sengupta. The actor, who was in Auroville recently for a preview screening of her upcoming release Goodbye Mountain at Cinema Paradiso, said many Indian films continue to be well received at prominent international film festivals. The actor, whose national award for best actress in Rituparno Ghosh's Dahan (1997) ranks as the crowning achievement among the several trophies of a long career, says that if one looked at Indian cinema as a totality of regional productions, there is no rationale for compartmentalising movies by geography or language. 'Cinema is global right now. I believe that when we are doing an Indian film, we are also creating a global platform where the language of its storytelling is no longer a limiting factor to how a viewer anywhere in the world identifies with it,' she said. In fact, her own new Bengali release, Puratawn, whose aura was enhanced by the return to the screen of yesteryear star Sharmila Tagore after 14 years, had made waves at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival recently, even bagging the Best Film award. Rituparna and director Indrasis Acharya were back at Auroville's Cinema Paradiso, where they had presented their previous collaboration, The Parcel (Bengali) a few years ago, was to showcase their latest to an international audience. Auroville is a unique place where one gets to screen to a global audience, Rituparna noted, echoing the director's remark about the screening being the film's unofficial world premiere. Goodbye Mountain, a mature romance set in the breathtakingly beautiful terrain of Wayand in Kerala, is a synergistic collaboration between a director inclined to delve into the psyche of people in a relationship, and an actor with a penchant for nuanced portrayals. The film throws up searching questions about love, happiness and fulfilment in a stable relationship. 'It is a very different kind of understanding about life', she said, about the film theme that she expected would resonate with global audiences. Often, even in relationships with stable fundamentals, either partner could be searching for something that gives solace or a sense of release for the rest of their lives. 'Just because some people do not like to open up about their lives, it does not remove the void ... on the contrary it is necessary in life to be truthful to the self and face something, however difficult the process can be.' 'I always want to get into these sorts of spaces', said Rituparna, who enjoys relationship-based films woven around love. The actor points out that as society has changed, so has the nature of relationships and associated issues. 'There is such a diversity of relationships in society, from live-in to pre-nuptial agreements... that it is difficult to find a way to deal with issues complicating these relationships. Our cinema should shine a light on what is happening around us... and explore how complex relationship issues manifest even between mature individuals'. She is particularly thrilled by the audience response to Puratawn, which explores a deep-rooted relationship of the mother and daughter, and how the interpersonal transcends to a multi-dimensional dynamic within different members of the family. The fact that people thronged the theatre to watch the film is both a vindication of good cinema and the value attached to the theatre experience, she said. The actor of over 200 films, predominantly in Bengali, Hindi and Bangla, still harbours a hunger to be an eager student of cinema, explore new dimensions to playing a role and work with filmmakers with diverse storytelling styles. 'I revel in creatives spaces that allow me to try different things and to give my best as an actor to a character.' It is an attitude that has produced a versatile filmography that includes the Rituparno Ghosh masterpiece Utsav, the titular role in Tarun Majumdar's Alo, the romcom Mein, Meri Patni or Woh (2005), Bumm Bumm Bole (2010), Priyadarshan's Hindi remake of Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi's Children of Heaven, Bansuri (Hindi) by Hari Vishwanath or Rajkahini (Bengali/2015) set against the backdrop of the Partition — playing the lead in an ensemble cast as Begum Jaan, she still regards as a role of a lifetime. 'I still love the flamboyant roles.. those are experiences that have shaped and enriched me as an actor. But then, as much as I am a product of commercial cinema, I am also a product of good middle-road, parallel cinema'. Rituparna looks forward to quite a few projects, some due for release, others involving interesting scripts with pivotal roles. Her upcoming movies include the thriller Madam Sengupta (Bengali) in which she plays a cartoonist and Ittar (Hindi), a mature love story. 'I want to be known as my characters from my films whether it is as Ritika or Anandi', the actor said, referring to the characters she plays in Puratawn and Goodbye Mountain.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Why Tollywood clings to veterans for that elusive success: A revival at twilight
In April-May 2025, big screens in Bengal witnessed three films released with veteran stars as protagonists — Sharmila Tagore in Puratawn , Mousumi Chatterjee in Aarii and an upcoming release starring Rakhee Gulzar. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This isn't a 2025 phenomenon. Over the past decade, Bengali cinema has increasingly embraced narratives centered around the elderly — a thematic shift that has now gone beyond a 'trend', with broader societal recognition of the complexities faced by the elderly. Some would argue that it is the only film genre in Tollywood today to offer nuanced, empathetic storytelling. Thematic thread From the 1960sto the 80s, Bengali cinema, especially under the influence of auteurs like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Ritwik Ghatak, occasionally placed senior citizens at the narrative centre. While earlier films like Jalsaghar (1958) and Bancharamer Bagan (1980) touched upon the lives of the elderly, a significant shift occurred in the mid-2010s. Films such as Belaseshe (2015) and Mayurakshi (2017) brought senior characters to the forefront, delving into their emotional landscapes, exploring themes of ageing, loneliness, familial bonds, and rediscovery. The concerted focus on senior-centric narratives has solidified over the past 10 years, indicating a sustained and growing audience interest in such stories. 120990493 Significant cultural shift The film widely credited with marking this cultural shift is Belaseshe (2015), directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy. It broke several norms. The portrayal of senior citizens as protagonists with their own agency was the first. The film went on to become a major commercial and critical success, proving there was a sizable audience for emotionally rich stories about the elderly. Producers came forward to fund more films on intergenerational narratives – and it has been working, thus far. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In its wake, arguably, Belasesh e inspired a series of similar films, from Mayurakshi (2017) to Shonar Pahar (2018) to Gotro (2019). This focus has continued into recent years, with movies like Tonic (2021), Ei Raat Tomar Amaar (2024), Puratawn (2025) and Aarii (2025) further exploring the intricacies of elderly experiences. Soumitra Chatterjee and Swatilekha Sengupta in Belaseshe A Question of Commerce 'Films featuring senior actors often reflect Bengali culture and heritage, which resonates strongly with audiences with a deep affection. The audience's long-term relationship usually means that such films tend to perform well at the box office,' explained Joydeep Mukherjee, owner, Binodini (formerly Star) Theatre. Mukherjee was quick to point out that simply casting experienced actors isn't enough – a compelling storyline is essential to draw audiences to theatres. 'Problems arise when filmmakers follow trends and cast senior actors in roles that don't align their image or the storyline. If the character isn't justified within the narrative, it simply doesn't work,' Mukherjee said. Arijit Dutta of Priya Cinema spoke on 'phases' witnessed by the industry over decades – 'There was a phase when only action films did well at the box office. A similar phase happened with horror films. Now, elderly actors are playing pivotal characters in a film – and films like Tonic have done well at the box office,' Dutta said. Mousumi Chatterjee and Yash Daasguptaa in Aarii Veterans speak 'I am happy to see that filmmakers today are recognising the value of senior actors and casting them in lead roles — a trend long embraced by Hollywood,' said Mousumi Chatterjee, adding that she was moved by Aarii 's 'deeply empathetic storyline'. 'Experience cannot be overlooked,' said Lily Chakraborty, known for her powerful performances in films like Ardhangini, Posto , and Sanjhbati , 'Directors and producers have begun to recognise our true potential. The success of films where they play the central character is clear proof of that.' At 87, has been a veteran star of Tollywood for the past two decades — the protagonist of Toni c , one of the biggest films of recent years. 'It is important for the creator to understand a subject well before embarking on its portrayal,' said Bandyopadhyay. Paran Bandyopadhyay and Dev in Tonic Why it works? One word – relatability Bengal has the second-highest proportion of elderly women living alone, after Tamil Nadu. Narratives on loneliness are a reflection of our immediate reality. These are relatable stories – told by bankable stars, set against a familiar, Bangali mise-en-scene. Rituparna Sengupta, who acted in and produced Suman Ghosh 's Puratawn – the film that marked Sharmila Tagore's Tollywood return after a 14-year hiatus – spoke on how the core idea of the film was 'to craft a thought-provoking story centred on the relationship between a mother and her daughter'. Filmmaker Atanu Ghosh, who had cast as the protagonist in Mayurakshi, emphasised the finesse in performance from veteran actors as a game-changer. 'Actors like Soumitra Chatterjee, and Supriya Devi have an unmatched understanding of character-building and emotional nuances. Most viewers have a long personal history with them, and that can deepen a film's emotional resonance,' said Ghosh. Avijit Sen, director of films like Tonic, Projapoti, and Pradhan , emphasised how the stories call for 'experienced actors' – like Paran Bandyopadhyay, Mithun Chakraborty and Mamata Shankar. 'Veteran actors not only bring depth and quality to their performances but also enrich the entire team with their vast experience,' Sen added. Sharmila Tagore in Puratawn Tollywood's tryst with the elderly The most important outtake has been the initiation of mainstream conversations on ageing. Like Chhabi Biswas's aging aristocrat in the throes of declining feudalism in Jalsaghar gave rise to discussions on cultural preservation in an era of changes, Tollywood's new tryst with the elderly could give rise to better awareness on the struggles of old age in a world where empathy is diminishing by the hour. It is heartening to witness Indian cinema evolving in a way that celebrates experience, maturity and timeless talent – Mousumi Chatterjee Aarii would not have been possible without Mousumi Chatterjee. She could relate to the character– Nussrat Jahan Characters in film could be a part of our everyday reality – but audiences in a theatre want something beyond that. They want to see dreams being fulfilled, a story where the everyday man wins. A film that offers that will be well-received– Paran Bandyopadhyay
New Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Old Gold: The aura of Sharmila Tagore's Mrs Sen in Puratawn
Prim and proper Mrs Sen has two house guests. Her beloved daughter Mamoni and her son-in-law have come to celebrate her 80th birthday, but what tumbles out are family secrets – an unravelling marriage and a troubled mother-daughter relationship marked by physical distance and old age. Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore's virtuoso performance as Mrs Sen in Puratawn (The Ancient), directed by Sumon Ghosh, had its first private screening in Delhi NCR before a select gathering in the intimate space of Gurugram's Museo Camera Centre for the Photographic Arts on Sunday. Tagore looked elegant in a black outfit and stole. Rituparna Sengupta, the film's producer, who also plays Tagore's daughter Mamoni, was resplendent in a white sari. Tagore's cousins, cinema critic Shohini Ghosh, former chief information commissioner of India Wajahat Habibullah, and Diana Mickeviciene, the Lithuanian Ambassador to India, were in the audience. Preparing for the role After the last bars of Alokananda Dasgupta's music faded from the screen, the discussion moderated by Shantanu Ray Choudhuri, Editor In Chief, Om Books International, began. The two actors talked of the art they brought to play in their respective characters. The script was central for Tagore. As her character was one for whom memory loss, or rather a state in which 'the past was the present', was continual, she was sent a lot of books on mental health and dementia by the director. 'The character is not based on any real-life Mrs Sen. I kept reading the script and my mind drew on what I had read on the subject, or seen in real life. One film can be about many films. It's difficult to outline the process,' she said. 'The actual transformation of 'becoming' Mrs Sen would happen when I would put on the makeup and go to the set.' Sengupta's character, too, had quite a graph in the film, moving from concerned daughter to one losing her equilibrium with too many modern-day pulls and pressures – a crumbling marriage with a photographer with his own secrets, a hectic work-life as partner in a consultancy firm, a daughter seeking solace in the old relationship with her mother and then having to confront the fact that her mother's relationship at present is only with the child she was in the past. Sengupta, while talking of 'the great journey as an actor' that Puratawn has been, spoke of being in awe of Tagore, and deciding to take up the challenge of being a producer because the senior actor asked her to. 'The director told me I would be challenged on many fronts in this film. What made me do it was the name Sharmila Tagore. She said, 'I am doing a film in my language after so many years….' It was such a personal confession….' The Puratawn milestone Puratawn is a milestone in Sharmila Tagore's career. Her luminous beauty and acting have graced Indian cinema right from her first appearance as Aparna, a young bride with eyes like bottomless pools, in Satyajit Ray's Apur Sansar (1959), part of the Apu Trilogy. Puratawn is her return to Bengali cinema after 14 years; she was last seen in Rituparno Ghosh's Shubho Muhurat, a mystery thriller in which she played a former leading actor who turns to murder for a reason. This year is also the 50th year of her finest Hindi film performance in Mausam (1975); she played Kajli, a foul-mouthed sex worker, trying to seduce a man who knows she is his daughter and has come to claim her. Amitabh Bachchan is Tagore's contemporary; the two have been paired in films such as Besharam and Faraar. Like Bachchan, who still has films written for him, keeping in mind his age, Tagore – and perhaps Shabana Azmi – is the only woman actor around whom films are mounted. In 2023, Tagore played Kusum Batra, the matriarch in Gulmohur , a family drama set in a well-to-do middle-class north Indian home, coincidentally also a film where the drama unfolds around the leaving and keeping of an old house. In Puratawn , the house was crucial to the story. Set on the banks of Ganga, in an area that was once the hub of Bengal's jute mills, it is atmospheric and sits in an area that has its own story of rise, decline and death. Tagore and Sengupta joked about the director 'getting this house' almost a condition for doing the film as he had signed up the actors he wanted. 'Are we not enough? Is the house so important?' shared the actors to much laughter. The making Tagore's world in Puratawn is, by design, dimly lit. Her character is built up with silences, vacant eyes, a sudden dimpling of her face, absent-mindedness, shifts of mood and temper, depending on which moment of the past she inhabits in her present moment. Beautiful Bengal handlooms, everyday at-home saris that women of a certain generation wear, and a black and gold dhakai in a pivotal scene in which she agrees to a black bindi be placed on her forehead, accentuated the actor's beauty; the scenes in which there are close-ups of the character's veins, much like the gnarled roots of trees that have entered her house, show the imprint of time on one of mainstream cinema's most remarkable actors, and her long journey. Tagore is generous in her praise of the director and the production team of a film that, many say, may get her a National Award. 'The pauses, the silences, the ambience, were all there in the story, and was made possible by the direction. Everything was made possible so that I could be effective,' she said. 'In theatre, you can own the space and have a conversation with the audience. But in a film if you are not in the right frame or the lens is wrong…the film's DOP [Director of Photography] Ravi Kiran Ayyagari is a wizard,' she said. The audience reactions were that of fulsome praise. 'I thought I had forgotten to cry,' said a member of the audience. Others spoke of the film's 'relatability' in post-Covid-19 times, of many generations having to live together and its challenges. The Lithuanian ambassador said it was 'a universal story and can be imagined on any continent'. The Bengalis in the audience couldn't have enough of the references to bottles of Arnica, Boroline, HIT spray and KC Nag maths book, staples in their homes— one was witness to this a week before as well when one caught the film at a Gurugram big screen. Perhaps, in those moments something in them stirred, the city vanished and they were transported back home in Bengal re-opening some boxes covered in ancient dust. Puratawn enters the third week nationally. It has been selected for the New York Indian Film Festival. To watch Puratawn, book tickets at
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
What are we all watching?: Deepanjana Pal on the missing Hindi comfort show
The other day, our family doctor put me on the spot. 'Got any movie or show recommendations, preferably in Hindi?' he asked. This shouldn't be a challenge in the age of streaming, but I could only sit there and gawp. So far, 2025 has been trying for those of us expected to serve up menus of options to fans of Hindi entertainment. Regional cinema has delivered satisfying watches such as Alappuzha Gymkhana (Malayalam), the story of young, aspiring boxing champions. Sharmila Tagore delivered a standout performance in Puratawn (Bengali for Ancient), about a mother, a daughter and an 80th birthday party. Titles like these stand distinctly apart from the lacklustre listings out of Bollywood. Even if excess, spectacle and gloss are all your heart desires, there hasn't been much to choose from. Chhaava has been the biggest hit of the first quarter, but to recommend any of the Hindi films released so far this year is to risk one's credibility. On streaming, there was the slow but elegant storytelling of Black Warrant, set in New Delhi's Tihar Jail in the 1980s. The second season of Paatal Lok was a gripping watch and immensely bingeable, despite lapses of logic in its denouement. And that's about it. Of late, the bulk of Hindi entertainment has teetered between mediocre and disappointing. A monotony has set into streaming shows and films alike, with a surfeit of predictable action and crime dramas. Glaringly absent in the line-up is the good comfort watch. The show to come closest so far is Dupahiya, which feels like a work of Panchayat fan-fiction, and needed a whole lot more of Sparsh Shrivastava , who plays the fame-hungry but endearing Bhugol in this story of matchmaking going wrong; but is best-known for his role as the hapless (and wife-less) husband in 2023's Laapataa Ladies. Until recently, Indian OTT platforms managed a steady supply of well-made feel-good shows. There was Gullak (at least the first two seasons), Ghar Waapsi, Mismatched, Bandish Bandits (at least Season 2) and the first two seasons of Panchayat. There was laughter and tenderness in these shows, which were often rooted in a credible reality but went on to imagine a kinder world with happy endings for those who deserved them. Especially when the real world is rife with tension and uncertainty, well-made comfort watches can be a lifeline. A fantastic example is this year's Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. In it, the iconic protagonist (Renee Zellweger) is older, sadder and grappling with the grief of losing her beloved Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Despite everything, she holds on to her silliness, and ends up more endearing than ever. The film, the fourth in the franchise, revives some beloved characters, including Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver, while introducing delicious dollops of newness to Bridget's world. It also gives us that rare delight: an older woman protagonist unashamed of her desires. Too often, in Hollywood, when a middle-aged woman acts on her sexual curiosity, it is depicted as transgressive and laced with a whiff of shame. Invariably, she succumbs to anxious jealousy built up around a younger woman. (As much as Nicole Kidman deserves applause for choosing films helmed by women directors, last year's Babygirl is guilty of all this.) Not Bridget Jones, though. She remains a messy heroine, but is secure in herself. She is brave enough to demand happiness from the universe and — because the film is a comfort watch — the universe complies. A Hindi film or series with the sensibility of …Mad About the Boy would have been just what the doctor ordered, for our family doctor. Instead, I asked him if he liked vampires and suggested Ryan Coogler's incandescent Sinners (2025), which is as much a love letter to blues music as it is a period drama and vampire flick. As recommendations go, it's a good one. The film is disturbing, thought-provoking and beautiful. But, as I advised the good doctor, those with a low threshold for horror might want to line up an uncomplicated comfort watch to follow. We contain multitudes, after all; why shouldn't the entertainment we consume do the same? (To reach Deepanjana Pal with feedback, write to @dpanjana on Instagram)
