Didn't 'Jago Hua Savera' makers take rights from author's family?

Kolkata: Author Manik Bandopadhyay's son Sukanta got a shock when he chanced upon a teaser of '

Jago Hua Savera

' online. Pakistan's first submission for the Oscars, which was selected as part of the prestigious Cannes Classics, was based on Bandopadhyay's 'Padma Nadir Majhi'. But according to Sukanta, permission wasn't sought from the family for adapting the novel into this

AJ Kardar

film, starring Tripti Mitra.

"After reading TOI we came to know the good news that the film was being screened at Cannes. But the sad part is that no one sought the rights from my father while making it," Sukanta said.

On being told that both Wikipedia and IMDB mention his father's name as the author of the novel, Sukanta referred to the poster of the film that has been uploaded on the IMDB site. "It gives credit only to acclaimed poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz for story, lyrics and screenplay. A teaser of the film, which is also online, has the same credit. I wish Faiz had insisted on my father's story credit. Perhaps, he was too busy or not told about how the credit line would go," he said.

Sukanta, who has co-edited an anthology of the author's works, says that decades back, his mother had written to the Pakistani government about this. "We came to know that a film was being made. But no one got in touch with us for the rights. Nor did they reply to my mother," he said.

The author's wife died in 2005. "I have a newspaper clipping on how the Bengal government wrote to the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan on the issue. The state had come to know that such a movie was being made in Karachi. Here, the government spoke with producers in the erstwhile Soviet Russia to know if a Bengali film adapted from the novel can be made in colour. Satyajit Ray's name was discussed as a probable director," Sukanta said.



Some time in the 1970s, Hiten Chowdhury bought the rights of the film for "Rs 8,000", but he never made it. Finally, the state government produced the film directed by Goutam Ghose.

Unauthorised adaptations are not new and the Bandopadhyay family has already come to terms with it. With copyright for Bandopadhyay ending this year, the only regret is that none from his family has ever been able to watched this movie.Box:Name of the film: 'Jago Hua Savera' (Day Shall Dawn)

Director: AJ Kardar

Starring: Tripti Mitra, Khan Ataur Rahman

Music: Timir Baran