Durga Puja gets `filmy` with French help

Kolkata: French and Bengali artists have collaborated to design a Durga Puja pandal in south Kolkata which will depict 100 glorious years of Indian cinema.

With the Goddess seeming to bless the entertainment industry, Pallimangal Samity Puja in Jodhpur Park takes visitors on a nostalgic `filmi` journey with the theme `Cannes to Kolkata`. The entry has been designed to resemble old cinema halls here like the Metro cinema at the Esplanade with visitors being able to see images from over 130 films which have touched the hearts of millions of people all over the world. Hindi and Bengali films like `Anthony Firingee`, `Joy Baba Felunath` and `Kahaani` which have depicted Durga puja on celluloid are among the movies which have been showcased in the pandal. Also films which have won awards at the prestigious Cannes film festival can be seen at the Puja. Narayan Roy, the organiser, said that scenes from some of the best films ever made in France and India are being screened on a LCD monitor inside. A portion of the pandal has been made to resemble a studio with props, camera, and light and sound equipment to give visitors a feel of what goes behind the scenes during a shoot. Visitors will also be explained how 24 frames made a second of a film. The decoration and the painting in the pandal have been done by Jean-Xavier Renaud and Gaelle Foray, two artists from France in collaboration with local artist Gopal Poddar. "With our decoration and paintings, we have tried to give the pandal a French touch," the French artists said. Alliance Francaise, an Indo-French cultural centre, has funded the Rs 40-lakh project. Alliance Francaise director Stephane Amalir told PTI that the idea of designing a pandal on the subject was selected since films are the most popular form of entertainment in both France and India. "This is also celebrating the relationship of Indian cinema with French cinema dating back to the Lumiere Brothers screening of the first film ever viewed in India in 1896," he said. He said it was also a continuation of France`s recognition of India at the Cannes Festival this year. PTI