Saif Ali Khan 'deeply moved' by bonding of his mother-- legend Sharmila Tagore-- with screen-daughter Rituparna Sengupta in masterpiece movie “Puratawn (The Ancient)” directed by Suman Ghosh -at MAMI FilmFest ! by Chaitanya Padukone

It was a star-studded Asian Premiere event of emotionally enthralling Bengali movie ( with English sub-titles)  of “Puratawn (The Ancient), as part of the ongoing MAMI Film-Fest 2024 at the PVR-Juhu. The movie primary lead cast comprising National Film Award winner acclaimed actress-cum-producer Rituparna Sengupta graced the prestigious MAMI Film Festival for the premiere of her latest film, “Puratawn (The Ancient),veteran icon and National Film Award Winner elegant 'dimpled'  Sharmila Tagore alongside celebrated National Film Award Winning genius director Suman Ghosh, co-star Indraneil Sengupta and Brishti Roy ( who plays the care-giver house-maid), Among the invited celeb guests were Sharmila-jee's family Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, son-in-law Kunal Kemmu, Saba Ali Khan and also Madhu Chopra ( Priyanka Chopra's mother)  & Manoj Bajpayee ( Sharmila-jee's costar  in Disney+Hotstar OTT film Gulmohar ).

After watching the screening of 'Puratawn', the frank dignified yet discerning Saif Ali Khan reacted," Its a warm, thoughtful mother-daughter relationship-bonding,( Sharmila-Rituparna) it enlightens the audiences on how an 80-year old mother ( Sharmila)  grapples with memory-loss and cognitive decline. Although its a serious subject, its not too heavy and sensitively engages your attention all thru," smiled  'Nawaab' Saif Ali Khan who is not only a National Film Award winner but also a winner of seven Filmfare Awards.

The premiere of “Puratawn (The Ancient) saw  the presence of the entire talented cast and crew, marking a significant milestone in the film's journey.

Elegant evergreen Sharmila Tagore and stunningly charming  Rituparna Sengupta unite in “Puratawn (The Ancient),” a powerful narrative brought to life by acclaimed director Suman Ghosh. This collaboration holds special significance as it marks evergreen Sharmila Tagore’s long-awaited return to Bengali cinema (after a 14-year hiatus). Having expressed her desire to work with Rituparna on a meaningful Bengali film, in a performance-oriented central character,  the two iconic excellent actresses were on the lookout for the right subject. When director Suman Ghosh proposed the idea, the synergy was instant. Excited by the opportunity to share the screen with Sharmila Tagore and driven by a compelling script, Rituparna enthusiastically backed the project as the producer.. The result is a multi-layered emotional masterpiece that delves into the complexities of old-age related short-term loss-of-memory. Needless to say that all the actors have delivered captivating performances that elevate the film’s soulful yet engaging depth.

 

Actress-producer  Rituparna Sen chose Suman Ghosh to be the director and discussed the wonderful possibilities of the film. "Suman Ghosh came up with this wonderful script and the proactive-synergy was instant", says Rituparna who also shared that in the original script-draft the on-screen mother's age was 75 years, but realistic Sharmila insisted that she would play her actual real-life age of '80 years'. In showbiz industry known for most actresses preferring to play a much-younger screen-character, Sharmila comes off as a refreshing exemplary exception... 

Interestingly, noted director Ashim Samanta (whose visionary father Shakti-da Samanta made the cult jubilee-hit 1969 movie 'Aradhana' (1969) ) was also watching the 'Puratawn'-MAMI premiere,Later Ashim-da exclusively shared with me that it is "Sharmila-jee's amazing passion, dedication to her acting craft and her natural ageing-grace and radiant facial aura which has been her 'X-factor' crowning glory.!" Even in our blockbuster evergreen mega-hit musical movie 'Aradhana',-- Sharmila played the romantic lead. Although she was just around 25 years,in the second-half she convincingly also performed the mature de-glam mother's character that too to star hero Rajesh Khanna. It was not surprising that Sharmila-jee won the Best Actress Filmfare Award that year,for her classic benchmark performance in ;'Aradhana'. . In latest  Rituparna's 'Puratawn, ' I am quite confident that both the movie and Sharmila-jee will be contenders for various top awards including the National Film Award," predicts Ashim (Shakti) Samanta.    

After winning hearts and accolades at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival — where 'Puratawn' bagged Best Film and Sharmila Tagore earned the award for Best Actress — MAMI became the next distinguished platform to showcase this cinematic gem.

Rituparna Sengupta is no stranger to powerful, meaningful cinema. Known for her bold and unconventional film choices, she continues to redefine artistic excellence. In “Puratawn (The Ancient),” her portrayal exemplifies the delicate complexity of human emotions, offering a performance that lingers long after the credits roll.

The film, a hauntingly beautiful exploration of the past’s lingering presence, tells the poignant story of old ghosts — both literal and metaphorical — and the human need to confront and release them to embrace the future. A beautiful mother-and-daughter emotional story. 

Commenting on the response to the film, Rituparna expressed, _“Suman Ghosh has crafted an exceptional script that instantly resonated with Sharmila Tagore ji, and that’s how this beautiful film came to life. She expressed her desire for me to lead the project, and we had the privilege of making it happen. It’s a blessing to have had this incredible opportunity, especially after the blockbuster mega-hit success of my Bengali movie Ajogyo ( Ritupana's 50th film with co-star Prosenjit) , directed by the brilliant Koushik Ganguly,. Our film premiering 'Puratawn' premiering at MAMI is a significant milestone for us, and we are excited for all the good things that lie ahead”_, expressed an optimistic Rituparna.

(Pics of Rituparna Sengupta also clicked by Ramakant Munde)

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