`Mahapurush O Kapurush`, a tribute to Satyajit Ray film

Kolkata: Filmmaker Aniket Chattopadhyay`s Bengali movie ‘Mahapurush O Kapurush’ bears a striking resemblance to Satyajit Ray`s classic ‘Kapurush O Mahapurush’, both in title and subject - counterfeit godmen.

Aniket said he made the film to pay his tribute to the Satyajit Ray film. Ray veteran Dipankar De, who acted in such acclaimed Ray films such as ‘Agantuk’, ‘Sakha Prosakha’, ‘Seemabaddha’ and ‘Jana Aranya’, says the film is not a take-off on the maestro`s film. "Aniket`s film is a black comedy which casts a critical eye on how a section of people make money in the name of religion. I see it as a refreshingly different take on the role of fraud godmen," De said. The movie also featured West Bengal Higher Education minister-turned-actor Bratya Basu who played the principal character of a godman in the movie. "I don`t know if such babas are around any more, but I liked the script. I loved the satire in the film and the satire does not eclipse the character and story," Basu said. Basu, who recalled having received `rare` friend Aniket`s call while attending the state education ministers` conference in Delhi, said, "I called back and heard from him the story line. Later at an adda (gossip) session, the script reading took place and I liked the script. As we all fell in love with their script, we kept working till 2-2.30 am on certain days," Bratya, who acted in critically acclaimed films like Ichhe and Muktodhara, said. ‘Mahapurush O Kapurush’, to be released on May 17, questions the moral decay of society. Tired with prevailing corruption we want to protest and we hope something better will come. But does that happen?" Aniket asked. PTI