India, July 19 -- Life has come full circle for veteran filmmaker, actor and musician Anjan Dutt. At 70, Dutt chose to pay tribute to his mentor, legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen, with 'Chaalchitra Ekhon', made to mark Sen's 100th birth anniversary in 2024. In the film, Dutt stepped into the role of Sen, a character he felt deeply connected to The journey was especially meaningful because it was Sen who introduced a young Dutt to the big screen in 1981 with 'Chaalchitra'. The film earned Dutt the best newcomer actor award at the Venice Film Festival. More than four decades later, on Saturday, 'Chaalchitra Ekhon' won the National Award for Best Bengali Film at the 72nd National Film Awards, bringing the story full circle.
This is not Dutt's first National Award. In 2012, his film 'Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbona', which he directed and starred in, won the National Awards too. "Chaalchitra Ekhon has received love and recognition at several film festivals. But the National Award is truly special. I'm very happy and would request everyone who hasn't watched the film yet to watch it," Dutt said. The film features Shaon Chakraborty as a young Dutt, Bidipta Chakraborty as Geeta Sen, and Sekhar Das as Utpal Dutt.
Dutt's son, Neel, who was the producer and music composer of the film, wrote on social media, "My first film as Producer Chaalchitra Ekhon won National Award for Best Bengali Film. Congratulations to everyone associated with the film. Remembering Mrinal Sen."
Bengali cinema has another reason to celebrate as director Saurav Palodhi's 'Onko Ki Kothin', a small film with a big heart, also bagged honours at the National Awards. Child actors Riddhiman Banerjee, Topomoy Deb and Gitashree Chakraborty won the Best Child Artist award, sharing the honour with performers from two other films.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.