Young, independent filmmakers need to be encouraged: Soumitra

Kolkata, Sep 21 (PTI) Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjeesays young, independent filmmakers need to be encouraged inBengali film industry to make "their kind of cinema". "If young and new directors are not encouraged to maketheir kind of cinema, how can we move on? I am always infavour of encouraging such film makers if the content isinteresting and realistic" Soumitra told PTI at the musiclaunch of Bengali film "Bastob" on Tuesday. The acting legend, who enacts the role of a newspaperbaron, loosely based on the real life character of a Bengalianti-establishment media owner, said there is a trend inBengali commercial cinema to explore the realistic genre. "This is commendable," the "Charulata" actor said. Asked about the similarity of the name "Bastob" with aBollywood blockbuster and similar cases of Bengali filmshaving the same title of previous Hindi hits, Soumitra said,"Two films may bear the same name. A Bengali film may repeatthe same title as of an earlier hit. So, what is the bigdeal?" "How will that cause any great harm to the industry!",he commented. Director Shyamal Bose said a brief narration about therole was enough for a personality like Soumitra Chatterjee tograsp the layers of the character and an actor like him orSaswata Chatterjee will never differentiate between big timedirectors and lesser known ones in terms of giving best shotas the camera rolled. "Soumitra kaku worked with me in five films. He hadworked with the mastero in 16 films. In totality he had actedin around 400 films. "So, when he agrees to work with a filmmaker like me, whois around same age of his son, it shows unlike the publicperception of him being unapproachable he is exactly theopposite. But he is a man of few words, a sensitive man and athinking actor with vast repertoire of knowledge andexperience," the filmmaker said. "Unlike the out and out commercial Sanjay Dutt-starrerHindi Bastab, my film is entirely different and it is anonmainstream film which talks about a girl’s rape and how sheis stone walled by this society," the director said. PTI SUSMMJCH