Priyanka Sarkar to start shooting for Bengali film on Gomira mask dance

While not as famous as ‘Chhau’, the ‘Gomira’ mask dance is an important tradition in Bengal’s Dinajpur district. Villagers perform it to seek blessings and ward off evil.

Now, debut director Swarnayu Maitra is making a Bengali film called ‘Bhamini’ about this traditional dance. Set in Balurgat in South Dinajpur, it stars Priyanka Sarkar, Tathagata Mukherjee of ‘Pariah’ fame and Marathi actor Umakant Patil, who has worked in Bollywood films like ‘Jawan’, ‘Gangubai Kathiwadi’ and ‘Sooryavanshi’.

In ‘Bhamini’, Priyanka plays Suhita, a ‘Gomira’ mask dancer. When an illegal clinical trial of the human papillomavirus causes deaths in their town, Suhita, along with her friend Kamal (Tathagata) and special police officer Indra (Umakant), fights against it. Sandip Bhattacharya from ‘Ballavpurer Roopkatha’ also stars in the film. The director is planning to go on the floor before the Lok Sabha elections.