'I felt utterly humiliated'

KOLKATA: In times of demonetisation, director Saibal Mitra was utterly frustrated when he had to face a “raw deal” after landing in Goa where he was invited by the

International Film Festival of India

(Goa) to present his film titled “Chitrakar” at the Indian

Panorama

section.

Mitra’s film presents the tension between an artistic endeavour and commercial compulsion of contemporary world. Said Mitra, “I never knew we would be treated so badly. From the airport, we were given a list stating which hotel we would be staying in. On reaching our hotel, we found that things were completely haywire. From 2.30 pm to 7 pm, we were made to wait in the hotel lobby. Nobody had a clue about why we were being harassed this way.”

One member of his unit was taken ill. “She was throwing up. Luckily, arrangements were made for her. But for the rest, nobody seemed to care whether we had food or not. I felt utterly humiliating,” the director added.

After hours of waiting, Mitra and his team were finally taken to a hotel on the Calangute beach. “Nobody from the festival unit bothered to find out what we would have for dinner. We had to pay for the dinner. In times of demonetisation, it was so difficult to organise the currency. We were invited to the festival. Is this how guests are treated? We didn’t even get the minimum respect that a guest deserves,” Mitra said.

On Tuesday morning, the scenario improved. “I was livid. I knew that if I didn’t protest, people would just walk over us. Initially, I thought I would leave for Kolkata on Tuesday morning. Later, I changed my mind. But I must add that the initial experience at IFFI has been quite bitter for me,” Mitra concluded.