India’s oldest functioning studio, Aurora Film Corporation, is making feature films again

India’s oldest functioning film studio, Aurora Film Corporation, has announced its newest feature film, Kalkokkho (House Of Time).

Directed by National award-winning filmmaker duo Rajdeep Paul and Sarmistha Maiti, Kalkokkho explores the sense of being trapped in time where life stands with a constant reminder of our mortality.

The film marks the launch of the fourth generation of filmmakers from the legendary studio, according to a press release issued by the company.

The Aurora Film Company was established in 1906 by Anadinath Bose. Initially operating as a travelling cinema unit, the company exhibited films, made short silent films and newsreels, and imported films from abroad.

In fact, Aurora is believed to have started the concept of newsreels in India. The banner is also credited with making the first film for children in India, Hate Khari.

In 1921, Bose renamed the company Aurora Film Corporation and became a leading force behind the birth of the Bengali film industry.

Anadinath's successor Ajit Bose produced and distributed films of masters like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen.

Anjan Bose, the third-generation custodian of the Aurora brand, is trying to carry forward the legacy with the vision to create a new era of Indian cinema geared to excellence in the global milieu.

Speaking about the studio embarking on its latest film, Anjan Bose said, “I’m establishing one of the most modern studios in India in Salt Lake, Kolkata, where one can begin with thoughts, develop concepts, conceive scripts and get mentored, film it on our studio floor (if needed), get every support of post-production in the same premises and come out with a ready film for distribution to a worldwide audience."

Bose said this was exactly how films like Ora Thake Odhare (1954), Aparajito (1956), Jalsaghar (1958), Raja Rammohun (1965), Moyna Tadanta (1980) and many more acclaimed works were created. "Now, with the new generation, I am initiating with Rajdeep Paul and Sarmistha Maiti’s Kalkokkho (House Of Time) to gear up for a fresh innings of Aurora Film’s journey with its fourth-generation filmmakers.” 

Kalkokkho unfolds in the middle of a pandemic where an apathetic but adept doctor is taken hostage by a young woman in a desperate attempt to ensure the safety of her family. Captive in an almost desolate house inhabited by three women of different ages, the paranoid young woman, an amnesiac old woman and a lonely young girl, the doctor discovers that forces beyond his comprehension are at play and he might be trapped not only in space but also in time.

Rajdeep Paul and Sarmistha Maiti have previously made the award-winning and critically acclaimed short films Kayantar (Metamorphosis) and Malai (Ice-cream), also produced by Aurora Film Corporation. Kalkokkho is in its post-production stage and is expected to be released later this year.