It's important to talk about issue-based politics: Aparna Sen on her latest film
Kolkata: Filmmaker Aparna Sen has said her latest outing 'Ghawre Baire Aaj', a contemporary adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's iconic novel 'Ghare Baire' (The Home and the World), is a reflection of the present-day society.
Sen, who had been vocal about several socio-political issues, asserted that it was necessary to talk about politics at play at different levels and its impact on common people.
"In my first films, it was all about gender politics.
I have done films based on the lives of marginalised people and the differently abled. I have also made films on communalism. So there can be politics at different levels in the society. It is important we talk about these issues."
'Ghare Baire', originally adapted by auteur Satyajit Roy, is a romantic drama set in the early 20th century, when the country was fighting its struggle for freedom.
Sen said she wanted to give the story a contemporary touch for the audience to be able to relate its circumstances to the current scenario in the country.
"In Tagore's novel, Bimala, the female protagonist, is an upper caste Hindu woman. In my film, she is a Dalit woman.
We usually show urban societies in our films, talk about upper and middle class people. The Dalits and the tribals remain largely unrepresented," She told PTI.
The National Award-winning filmmaker said the idea for her new venture struck her after she came to know about journalist Gauri's Lankesh's murder in September 2017.
"The day Lankesh died (on September 5, 2017), I could not sleep the whole night. I was disturbed. I knew I wanted to make a film on the present-day society and what better than Tagore's 'Ghare Baire' for a premise.
"After consulting my friends and family, I decided to narrate Tagore's story in a new format, set in the modern day.
Every time I make a film, I set on a new journey," she said.
Lankesh, a journalist-turned-activist, was a vociferous critic of right-wing Hindu extremism and the caste system. She was shot dead outside her home in Bangalore.
'Ghawre Bairey Aj', starring Jisshu Sengupta, Anirban Bhattacharya and Tuhina Das in lead roles, will hit the theatres on November 15.
Asked if she foresaw any adverse reaction after the film is released, Sen said, "I can't foresee anything, I can only make my statement through my work, not only as an artist but a politically conscious human being. Then it is up to the audience to react.
