Director Kaushik Ganguly's upcoming film Palan has been conceived as a tribute to master filmmaker Mrinal Sen for his birth centenary next year.
Set in the current era, the film will have Anjan Dutt, Sreela Majumdar and Mamata Shankar reprising their roles from Sen's Kharij (1982).
Actor Jisshu Sengupta, Paoli Dam and Debapratim Dasgupta, who worked as a child actor in Kharij, will also play crucial roles in Palan.
According to Ganguly, the film will have the same characters from Kharij, who now reside in a dilapidated house in Kolkata.
Palan will take off from where Kharij ended but will have no direct connection with the storyline.
“For me, Mrinal Sen has always been one of the top filmmakers of Bengali cinema. I have always revered him for his cerebral works and international approach to storytelling,” stated the National award-winning director in a press interaction.
Stating that Kharij changed the way he used to watch films, Ganguly said, “It is difficult for me to express the impact the film had on me. Kharij opened a new world for me, and I feel I am indebted to the film. Considering my experience in filmmaking so far, I think I will be able to do justice in honouring the work of the filmmaker, whom I had the privilege to address as Mrinal Da.”
Ganguly further said that while Shankar, Majumdar and Dutt were fortunate enough to be part of Sen’s legacy, along with Dam and Sengupta, he did not have the same privilege. “Palan is an attempt to live those moments which we have missed out on. All I can say is that the audience can expect the unexpected from the film,” said the director.
Produced by Pramod Films, Palan will go on the floors on 25 March.