Saradha scam plays out in Bengali film `Kagozer Nouko`

Kolkata: Cashing in on the chit fund controversy which has caught Bengal by a storm, a young director has made a film featuring a chit fund owner like that of the infamous Saradha Group which has defaulted on repayment.

The film `Kagozer Nouko` has two simultaneous plots running - one of financial insecurity faced by ordinary people when fraudsters prey on their innocence and the other physical insecurity faced during terrorist attacks like the 26/11. Veteran Soumitra Chatterjee plays the character of a chit fund owner who defrauds simple village folks of their hard-earned money much the same way the Saradha Group did, dragging the ruling government into the vortex. "My film deals with the overall issue of how the whole security system of the country is at stake - both in terms of ensuring physical security for the man on the street and financial security for the poor investors," director Parthosarathi Joardar told reporters during the premiere of the film. Victor Banerjee also acts in the film, playing the character of a crusader who tries to find a solution to the issue. Joardar said he had used TV footage of the 26/11 attacks on Taj Palace and Nariman point in Mumbai sourced from local channels to lend authenticity to the film. The chit fund part of the film was conceived and canned much before the Saradha Group scam burst into the open, but watching the movie it appears as if the director had the knowledge of the scandal now playing out. Joardar said he had sensed while touring the districts for shooting of the film that one day the particular chit fund company would collapse. "I shuddered thinking what will be the impact of the collapse on the rural people the way the company has played on the innocence of them," he said. Upcoming Bollywood actor Bidita Bag and Rajesh Sharma of the `No one Killed Jessica` fame are also part of the main cast. PTI