KOLKATA, Nov 3:
Filmmaker Aparna Sen has said her latest outing ‘Ghawre Baire Aaj’, a contemporary adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s iconic novel ‘Ghare Baire’ (The Home and the World), is a reflection of the present-day society. Sen, who had been vocal about several socio-political issues, asserted that it was necessary to talk about politics at play at different levels and its impact on common people. “In my first films, it was all about gender politics.
I have done films based on the lives of marginalised people and the differently abled. I have also made films on communalism. So there can be politics at different levels in the society. It is important we talk about these issues.”
‘Ghare Baire’, originally adapted by auteur Satyajit Roy, is a romantic drama set in the early 20th century, when the country was fighting its struggle for freedom. Sen said she wanted to give the story a contemporary touch for the audience to be able to relate its circumstancesto the current scenario in the country.
“In Tagore’s novel, Bimala, the female protagonist, is
an upper caste Hindu woman. In my film, she is a Dalit woman.
We usually show urban societies in our films, talk about upper
and middle class people. The Dalits and the tribals remain
largely unrepresented,” She told PTI.
The National Award-winning filmmaker said the idea for
her new venture struck her after she came to know about
journalist Gauri’s Lankesh’s murder in September 2017.
“The day Lankesh died (on September 5, 2017), I could
not sleep the whole night. I was disturbed. I knew I wanted to
make a film on the present-day society and what better than
Tagore’s ‘Ghare Baire’ for a premise.
“After consulting my friends and family, I decided to
narrate Tagore’s story in a new format, set in the modern day.
Every time I make a film, I set on a new journey,” she said.(PTI)