We already know Kaushik Ganguly’s ‘Palaan’ is a tribute to the maverick filmmaker Mrinal Sen and his cult classic ‘Kharij’. This year is Mrinal Sen’s birth centenary and to mark the special occasion the official poster of the film was released recently to celebrate the life of the visionary storyteller.
Set in the current time, the film features Anjan Dutt, Sreela Majumdar, and Mamata Shankar reprising their roles from the 1982 film ‘Kharij’. Actors Jisshu Sengupta, Paoli Dam, and Debapratim Dasgupta, who worked as a child actor Hori in Kharij, will also be seen in crucial roles in the tribute film. ‘Palaan’ will also have the same characters from 'Kharij', who are now surviving in a dilapidated Kolkata mansion.
While speaking about the inception of this film Kaushik Ganguly who is known for making thought-provoking films on the complexities of human relationships shared, "I didn’t get the chance to meet Satyajit Ray but I met Mrinal Sen many times and I must say his way of thinking and views of world cinema moved me. Even his film Kharij changed my perception of cinema for me. I often wonder who can be held responsible for Palan's death. You would find a struggle between consciousness and guilt in our film," explained the director.
Debapratim who played the character of Hori in Kharij is also excited to be a part of this tribute film since he was in class Vll when he was cast in Kharij. His character Hori now drives a taxi to earn his living in ‘Palaan’.
Mrinal Sen's iconic film ‘Kharij’, based on Ramapada Chowdhury’s novel, revolves around a middle-class family whose child servant Palan was found dead in their kitchen. What happens next forms the crux of the story. The film won many accolades including the Jury Prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. It will be interesting to see how this new tribute film ‘Palaan’ works, especially after Kaushik Ganguly’s latest film ‘Kaberi Antardhaan’s performance at the box office.
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