In a major boost to the Bengali film industry, the Kolaj Bengali Association is all set to host the first Bengali film festival in Bengaluru. Kolaj will be a three-day film festival, running at St. Johns Auditorium in Koramangala. The festival began on Friday and will run up to April 10.
Nine feature films, seven short films, and one documentary will be screened at this festival.
Visitors will also be treated to an art exhibition at the art gallery in the festival. According to a report, the art gallery will exhibit abstracts, realistic, and traditional form of paintings. Madhubani and Patachitra paintings will also be exhibited. Painters and artists from outside Bengal will also be encouraged to display their art, with some being from Jharkhand and one from Hyderabad.
It is being reported that Suman Ghosh's book on late Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee will be launched at the film festival.
Short films like Sayan Basu Chowdury's Bodhon and thriller Okaigari will be screened, along with a documentary film called '1971' during the Kolaj festival.
Most of the films selected for the festival are recent releases that haven’t made it to the over-the-top (OTT) platform yet. Other films that will be screened are Nalish, and Searching for Happiness. After every screening, in usual film festival manner, there will also be a question and answer session with the actors and directors of the films watched.
{{/usCountry}}Most of the films selected for the festival are recent releases that haven’t made it to the over-the-top (OTT) platform yet. Other films that will be screened are Nalish, and Searching for Happiness. After every screening, in usual film festival manner, there will also be a question and answer session with the actors and directors of the films watched.
{{/usCountry}}The festival will be a star-studded event, with several contemporary actors and directors expected to attend, apart from film enthusiasts. Bengali actors like Moon Moon Sen, Sreelekha Mitra, Sudipta Chakraborty Rudranil Ghosh, Sourav Das, Swastika Mukherjee, Rwitobroto Mukherjee and Darshana Banik are going to come to the festival. Whereas, Subhrajyoti Basak, Ranajit Dey and R. D Nath are expected to attend among directors. The guest of honour will be Agnimitra Paul, member of the legislative assembly of West Bengal.
According to a 2020 report, Bengaluru is home to over 13 lakh Bengalis and is now considered to be the second home for Bengalis. Here is how to get into the film festival to watch the film of your choice with the actors and makers of the film in a pre-pandemic setting.
The visitors have to book their tickets prior to visiting the festival. A special discount can be availed by students and association members. Those interested can also register themselves for the film fest today on Kolaj's Facebook account.