Ritwik Ghatak exhibition at KIFF

On the birth centenary of filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival has put up an exhibition with his memorabilia at the main festival venue.

The exhibition at Nandan Foyer, named 'Centenary Tribute Ritwik Ghatak: The Subaltern Voice' was inaugurated by veteran actress Madhabi Mukherjee, Ghatak's leading lady in Subarnarekha (1965), his son Ritban, artist Subhaprasanna Bhattacharya, among others, on November 7 and will continue till November 13.

The exhibition features collectable photos like Ghatak sharing frame with another iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray, original hand-written letters by him, rare books authored by him, the original censorship certificate of his cult work Subarnarekha, movie booklets of his films summarising the storyline (which was a practice during commercial Bengali film releases those days), a KIFF official said. In one letter, Ghatak opens up his pains and wounds to his wife during his stint at FTII, Pune.

Visibly moved by the exhibits, Ritoban said his father was yet to ''get the recognition he deserves in the world,'' the way some other film geniuses representing different genres are known and feted, and there should be more discussion and research on his life and works by enthusiasts and experts for serious study.

Madhabi, in her comments, described Ghatak as ''much more than a filmmaker, a thinker who projected the socio-political and cultural changes in his times and beforehand.

Among Ghatak's films, his trilogy on partition and displacement - 'Meghe Dhaka Tara', Komal Gandhar and Subarnarekha - are being screened in the festival.

As part of the tribute to Ghatak, there will be a discussion 'Ritwik Ghatak Memorial Conversation' attended by Adoor Gopalakrishnan on November 12 and felicitation of actors, students and technicians of Ghatak on November 13.