KOLKATA: The never-ending tussle between the Federation and the 13 petitioning directors has taken a dramatic turn. Acting on Calcutta High Court’s earlier order, both sides have now put forward their picks for a new committee meant to break the deadlock.
On Thursday, the directors’ camp submitted its recommendations, and by Monday, the Federation followed suit. Justice Amrita Sinha had earlier asked for these names so that a final panel could be formed. The task of sifting through the lists and preparing the final lineup now lies with Shantanu Basu, Secretary of the state’s Information and Culture department.
The Federation’s list shines with Tollywood heavyweights, including Goutam Ghose, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Dev and Jeet, directors Arindam Sil, Srijit Mukherji, and the duo Shiboprosad Mukherjee–Nandita Roy. Producers Shrikant Mohta and Nispal Singh Rane, as well as makeup artist Somnath Kundu and younger filmmakers like Pavel and Rahul Mukherjee, also find a place.
But the petitioning directors have thrown a curveball, pitching for big names from outside Bengal, including Dibakar Banerjee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Adil Hussain, Hansal Mehta and Nandita Das. Interestingly, they’ve even suggested SRFTI as a member. That last move has sparked plenty of chatter: should an academic institute sit on such a committee? And are Bengal’s own filmmakers being unfairly sidelined?