In a 2019 interview about Mahalaya, Prosenjit Chatterjee described the film as a return to a pivotal moment in Bengali cultural history: the 1976 decision to replace Birendra Krishna Bhadra with Uttam Kumar for the Mahisasurmardini broadcast. He also defended artistic independence after a film disappeared from Kolkata theatres and outlined projects he expected to make at the time. Those project details are historical, not a guide to his current slate.
What Chatterjee said Mahalaya is about
Chatterjee saw Mahalaya as a chance to tell a consequential story from Bangla’s cultural history. “Bengali cinema seldom gets historical films, and this was a key moment in the history of Bangla,” he told Scroll in 2019.
The film revisits the controversy around the 1976 Mahisasurmardini broadcast. Scroll reported that All India Radio replaced the familiar voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra with actor Uttam Kumar, prompting protests; the broadcaster then returned to the original voices. This is Scroll’s account of the episode, not an independently corroborated finding here.
Scroll describes Mahisasurmardini as a 90-minute audio programme combining Sanskrit verses, Bengali songs and acoustic instrumentation. According to the report, the broadcast tradition began in 1931 and the programme is played in the early hours of Mahalaya, marking the start of Debipaksha, with Durga Puja festivities following about a week later.
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In the film, Subhasish Mukherjee plays Bhadra, Subhomoy Chatterjee plays Pankaj Mullick and Jisshu Sengupta plays Uttam Kumar, according to Scroll. Prosenjit Chatterjee’s voice is heard in the trailer announcing Bhadra’s replacement.
Chatterjee’s role in the film
Chatterjee said his character’s screen time was limited but his perspective mattered to the story. The Times of India quoted him describing the part as “very important but short in length” and saying, “It is through his perspective that we see the film.” He also dubbed for the film, according to the same report.
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Why the portrayal became contentious
The film’s version of events drew criticism soon after its release. Ei Samay reported on March 3, 2019, that people associated with the radio programme objected to what they saw as a distorted or diminished portrayal of Uttam Kumar and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay.
Chatterjee rejected that reading in the same report. He argued that the film did not demean Uttam Kumar or cast Hemanta as a villain. These are competing contemporary assessments of the film; the report records the dispute rather than settling the historical question.
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What he said about censorship and artistic freedom
Scroll’s interview connected Chatterjee’s comments on artistic freedom to the 2019 case of Anik Dutta’s Bhobishyoter Bhoot. Scroll reported that the film vanished from Kolkata theatres a day after its February 15 release. Some exhibitors and theatre chains attributed the stoppage to “senior authorities,” while no government authority had taken responsibility at the time.
Chatterjee called the removal unacceptable: “Stopping a film that is running in theatres like this is wrong.” He added, “There should be independence in expressing yourself in cinema, and there, the audience is the last judge.” These remarks addressed that reported 2019 episode; they do not establish the film’s present availability or a current legal finding.
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His recollection about Bhadra and caste
Chatterjee also recalled that “a certain group” had once objected to Bhadra working on the grounds that a non-Brahmin should not recite Sanskrit stotras. He used the anecdote to argue that caste status should not determine someone’s ability to be an artist. This is Chatterjee’s recollection as published by Scroll, not an independently established account of the incident.
On whether Mahalaya carried a wider political meaning, Chatterjee said he did not see one. His comments focused instead on the historical controversy and the freedom to make and show films.
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The films Chatterjee discussed as upcoming in 2019
In the 2019 interview, Chatterjee described several projects he expected to work on. They should be understood as plans reported at the time, not as verified current or upcoming projects.
- Kolkata Company: Chatterjee said he might play a mafioso in Soumik Sen’s film, set in the 1960s and 1970s and based, in his words, on real events.
- Jyesthaputra: Directed by Kaushik Ganguly and based on a story by Rituparno Ghosh, it follows the journey of a superstar. Chatterjee said he would play the eldest son opposite Ritwick Chakraborty.
- Dasda: Chatterjee described it as a contemporary take on Devdas, with Jisshu Sengupta.
- Untitled film: He also listed a project directed by Chandrashish Roy.
An earlier PTI report published by Business Standard on May 27, 2018, had included Uranchandi, Mahalaya, Das Da, Kolkata Company, Abar Asitechhe and an unnamed project in a slate attributed to Chatterjee. It described Uranchandi as a road movie about three women of different generations and Das Da as a supernatural romantic comedy. The variation between the 2018 and 2019 lists reflects what was reported at those dates; it does not confirm which projects were ultimately made or released.
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