I chose Putul Bai over my knee surgery: Ananya Chatterjee

The launch of “Chole Jeo Na” from Phool Pishi O Edward turned into an emotional evening on Sunday as National Award-winning actress Ananya Chatterjee performed live to the song shortly after its release. While the audience was mesmerized by Ananya’s graceful performance as Putul Bai, few knew about the physical pain she endured during the shoot. The actress revealed that she had taken an injection to perform for the song sequence despite being scheduled for an operation in Chennai.“I was about to leave for Chennai for an operation when Shiboprosad called me,” recalled Ananya. “I thought for a while and spoke to my mother. I told her, ‘I’ll have the operation later, but I want to perform to this song first.’ My mother stood by me.”The song marks a rare return to dance for Ananya on screen, and her expressive performance has already become one of the highlights of the film’s promotions. Mounted on a grand scale, “Chole Jeo Na” blends semi-classical music with visual opulence and emotional intensity.Composed by Joy Sarkar, written by Srijato and sung by Anashmita Ghosh, the song also marks Anashmita’s first major playback number in a feature film.“This is a very important song for Phool Pishi O Edward,” said Joy Sarkar. “It has a semi-classical touch. Anashmita has worked with my team for years doing backing vocals and scratches, so seeing her get such a big opportunity through this film makes me very happy.”For Nandita Roy, the release brought back memories from two decades ago, when she had first seen Ananya dance in a reality show performance Mathura Nagarpati.“I still remember watching her perform a Manipuri dance form and crying behind the monitor. Shibu and I were directing it,” said Roy. “Today, while releasing this song, flashes of that moment kept coming back.” Though Shiboprosad could not attend the event due to the shoot of Bohurupi 2, he called Ananya from Malda station to wish her luck before the performance.“With Shibu I have an on-and-off fight,” Ananya smiled, “but with Didi, the relationship is different. She’s affectionate, motherly, and always takes care of me.”