Rituparno Ghosh: Editor to Director

For Rituparno Ghosh, adda with friends and colleagues, was fodder for the creative mind
Cha khabi toh, shona?��� the voice would call out. A cup of steaming earl grey, which he would himself make, and that familiar sobriquet, shona ��� that was how I got to know Rituparno Ghosh. I met him first in 1999, a nervous traineee journalist in the magazine Aparna Sen, Rituda���s dear friend, used to head. Rituda used to sit a few cubicles away, the editor of another mag, letting his fame and his attire ��� T-shirt, jeans and a mop of curly hair ��� sit very lightly on him.
For, by then, Rituda was already a name to reckon with in the industry. Hirer Angti, Unishe April and Dahan had happened, winning him multiple National Awards. Bariwali and Asukh were to release the same year. But in office, none of that mattered. His warmth pervaded his cubicle. So many times, seeing Rinadi (Aparna) upset over something, Rituda would walk up to her and say, ���Rinadi, chol tokey kobita shonai���. For hours, he would read her poetry till she started feeling better. The two filmmakers and editors had another link as well. Rituda was very fond of Rita Dey, Rinadi���s personal hairstylist.
He could be very cantakerous and moody at times, but Rituda was also a great raconteur and loved good food. His storytelling sessions stretched for hours in office and he could never have his fill of pabda maach. Paradoxically, every good meal was always followed by his rant on how he was constantly putting on weight!
Years passed. Rituda left his magazine and so did I. We were no more colleagues, but filmmaker and journalist. His stories grew darker and more complex, with sexuality and inner struggles becoming dominant themes. I would call him for stories and he would reciprocate, only when he wanted to. Rituda could be very secretive and moody when he was shooting.
His relationship with the media could be very choppy at times. But on the personal level, it was always smooth sailing. If he spotted a good story I���d done, he���d call up to praise it. Sometimes, it was just plain chit-chat ��� ���industry-r gossip bol toh, ami shuni���, he would say at times.
Chitraganda: The Crowning Wish was his last release. It did not work at the box office but was widely hailed for its content, which was generally thought to be autobiographical. I remember covering the last day���s shoot. He was in a great mood, smiling, laughing, joking with the cast and crew. It was almost as if he was revelling in the tale and its telling.
With Satyanweshi, Rituda was marking a new rite of passage. From his deeply internal films, he was returning to the suspense and thrill of a detective tale, last visited in Shubho Mahurat. Would he revisit Bomkesh in a way we���d never seen before? We���ll never know. The film might be completed, but the dream has died with Rituda.