Actor-producer Prosenjit Chatterjee was removed from the position of chairperson for the 25th Kolkata International Film Festival without prior notice. Producer-director Raj Chakraborty replaced him at the helm of the popular festival.
Prosenjit, who had held the position for long, reportedly learnt of his removal from media reports and remarked that the process could have been handled more gracefully.
The one-time superstar of Bengali cinema was included in the apex advisory committee of the festival along with veteran artistes Madhabi Mukherjee, Ranjit Mallick and Sabitri Chatterjee and filmmakers Goutam Ghose, Sandip Ray, Aparna Sen, Kaushik Ganguly, Srijit Mukherji and Arindam Sil, but he opted out, citing prior commitments.
Aparna Sen, too, opted out of the committee saying she had not been consulted before being included in the panel. Sen also pointed out that given her seniority she ought to have been named chairperson.
The actress-turned-filmmaker said she would be busy working on her upcoming projects during the festival that is scheduled to be held from 8–15 November this year.
Srijit Mukherji, echoing Aparna Sen’s statement, told The Times of India newspaper, “I have been named in the Nandan committee, but I was not asked. I would like to speak to the chairperson and find out about the time commitments. I have a release coming up and I will decide [whether to take up the role] after I get to know everything. I have not done anything half-heartedly.”
Mukherji also remarked that protocol demanded that Prosenjit be informed in advance that he was being replaced.
New festival chairperson Raj Chakraborty said there had been some miscommunication between the government officials concerned and Prosenjit.