Aritra Mukherjee’s debut film, Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, was screened at the Indian Panorama feature film category of the 51st edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa this year.
An elated Ritabhari Chakraborty, who plays the lead role — a Sanskrit lecturer and priestess named Shabari — in the film, said, “It's such an honour for our film to have been selected for IFFI, as the subject of our film is very interesting and close to all our hearts.”
Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti review: Superficial and preachy treatment of women's issues
In the film, written by Zinia Sen, Shabari stands up against discrimination against women in all spheres of society.
Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti also seeks to shatter taboos associated with menstruation. However, according to Chakraborty, the film was a joyride despite dealing with serious issues. “There are many forms in which a film can be made and it’s not always mandatory to follow a serious tone to tell a serious subject. If one wants to connect with more people, humour is the best way,” said the actress, who said she felt honoured to play the role.
While speaking of discrimination faced by women in their respective fields, Chakraborty addressed the issue of projection of women in Bengali films and said, “There is a lot of content revolving around women, all of which should be said in feminine voice; however, it’s not happening due to various reasons like satellite rights.”
While in most commercial films, women are portrayed as damsels in distress, Chakraborty said, “We too have our stories to tell. Male content is sought after and female content is not. That is the discrimination we face.”
Sen felt the urgency to tell the story after she came across a woman who was not allowed to participate in a religious ritual because she was menstruating at the time.
Soham Majumder, who plays Shabari’s husband Vikramaditya, said, “It's truly an honour that the film has been selected for the Indian Panorama. I feel if we men do not take the steps together, we cannot create any form of society where all are equally positioned, irrespective of gender. I feel a movement has emerged after the film was screened in halls.”
While the actor was initially sceptical about the content of the film, as he delved deeper into the script, he had the thought that as a man, he was not doing his job correctly.
Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti was released on Women’s Day in March 2020. After the lockdown, the film was re-released in the theatres.