Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee and actress Arpita Chatterjee will feature in Sujit Pal’s directorial debut film based on the cases of sexual abuse of students recently reported in the heart of Kolkata. Through the film, Pal will attempt to put forth an unbiased account of the horrific incidents that shook the city and instilled fear in its residents.
Since December 2017, three cases of sexual abuse of female students, including that of a four year old girl, in school campuses have been reported.
“We are not trying to show who the culprit or the victim is. Over the past months, parents have had sleepless nights worrying about their children’s well being, and this film asks questions that did the rounds — were the children right in their account? Was anyone framed? Were the schools worried more about their image than the security of students?” Pal said, in an interview with Calcutta Times, a daily supplement of the Times of India newspaper.
Though the director did not disclose the storyline, he suggested that the focus will be on the issue of good touch and bad touch and the role of media in reporting these incidents.
Arpita, who will play a lawyer in the film, said, “More than an actress, I was compelled as a human being to do this film. Also, I have never played a lawyer before. My maximum screen time will be with Manoj Mitra and that’s a huge challenge.”
The director is yet to decide on the title of the film that will also feature Anjana Basu, Joy Sengupta, Manasi Sinha, Biswajit Chakraborty in significant roles.