Memory of ‘Bancharam’ lingers in Baruipur garden, 45 years after iconic film
Kolkata: The iconic Bengali film ‘Bancharamer Bagan’, directed by Tapan Sinha, was released in 1980. It was based on the play ‘Sajano Bagan’ by playwright-actor Manoj Mitra.
Manoj Mitra, himself, portrayed the lead role of the elderly Bancharam, a performance that received widespread acclaim. The outdoor shooting for ‘Bancharamer Bagan’ took place in a garden in Baruipur which gained fame after the film’s release and became known as ‘Bancharamer Bagan’.
Even after 45 years, the memory of Bancharam endures in the same garden in the Shikharbali I Panchayat area of Baruipur, where the Chakraborty family’s mango orchard remains untouched.
About four years ago, Manoj Mitra visited the garden again. For the spot, the connection to cinema came through a relative of the Chakraborty family, who had ties to the film industry. The relative knew Tapan Sinha and when the director was looking for a garden location for the film, suggested this one in Baruipur. After visiting the site, Sinha decided it was perfect for the shoot and filming began shortly afterwards. Deepak Chakraborty, the current head of the family, who was a 12-year-old boy at the time recalls that the shooting lasted for nearly a month, with Manoj Mitra and the other cast and crew staying at a house in Baruipur during the shoot.
Deepak says that even today, films are occasionally shot in the garden, and people visit for picnics during the winter.However, the garden has undergone very little change over the years. The old mango trees and the natural surroundings have been preserved.
A few years ago, when Manoj Mitra returned to the garden for a photoshoot he was deeply moved by the memories of the past. He recalled that the first day of shooting started at 4 am, with a scene where water was drawn from a pond next to the garden.
