Arun Roy, director of ‘Egaro’, ‘Bagha Jatin’ passes away at 52

KOLKATA: Director Arun Roy, known for five feature films including ‘Egaro', ‘Hiralal', ‘8/12 (Binay Badal Dinesh)' and ‘Bagha Jatin', died of a severe lung infection on Thursday morning at the RG Kar Medical College after battling cancer. Roy, who had an intense passion for making historical films based on the freedom movement, was 52.

The one word that defines Roy as a director is "courage". It was manifested in his conviction of being able to direct period films in Bengal on a meagre budget and the resolution to direct films on freedom fighters while working in thriller-obsessed Tollywood. A few years back, Roy told TOI: "The Bengali film industry lacks that courage. The industry honchos are keen on rubbing shoulders with political powers rather than concentrating on films. Such endeavours can never elevate art to any height. I want to demonstrate that films like ‘Hiralal' can be made here. All you need is courage."

On Thursday, doctor Kinjal Nanda, who made his acting debut in ‘Hiralal', took to social media to write: "Stay in peace my Hiralal, just like the original Hiralal". Dev, who played ‘Bagha Jatin', told TOI: "I started working with him professionally but he became part of my family. His passion for history distinguished Arun-da from others. We had even announced our next film together."

Roy, whose real name was Arunava Raychaudhuri, originally wrote scripts for serials like ‘Manik'. He neither went to a film school nor assisted anyone before he directed his debut feature ‘Egaro' on Mohun Bagan's historic 1911 IFA Shield victory. Poulomi Bose, whose son Ranadip made his acting debut in this film, recalled being moved when Roy and her friend Dipak Halder narrated the film's script. "Though he was a debutant, both Ranadip and I understood that the script possessed the potential to be crafted into a remarkable film. My father, Soumitra Chatterjee, did not hear the script. However, he appreciated Arun's work," Bose said.

‘Egaro' released in January 2011. In Dec 2011, 172 people died after consuming illicit liquor in Bengal. ‘Cholai', Roy's second feature that was loosely based on this tragedy and scrutinised the protocol of disbursing compensation for hooch-related fatalities, won Filmfare Critics' choice for the Best Film in 2017.

Actor-director Arna Mukherjee, who portrayed Badal in his ‘8/12 (Binay Badal Dinesh)' and Amarendra Nath Dutta in ‘Hiralal', was influenced by Roy's "distinct philosophy" that motivated him to create films about individuals who lived lives less ordinary. "That was manifested in the selection of his characters in ‘Egaro', ‘Bagha Jatin', ‘Hiralal', ‘8/12 (Binay Badal Dinesh)', who despite their modest origins. Not merely as a filmmaker, he instilled this philosophy in me as well," Mukherjee said.