Parambrata steps back from legal war

KOLKATA: If we say the tussle between the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) and the Directors’ Guild is still on, would you really be surprised? Probably not. Since 2024, this long-standing clash has repeatedly brought Tollywood to a halt, with several top directors, including Parambrata Chatterjee, Sudeshna Roy and Anirban Bhattacharya moving the Calcutta High Court, accusing the Federation of enforcing arbitrary rules that disrupted their work.

The court finally dismissed the case in September 2025, but clearly, the bad blood hasn’t gone away. The tension seems to have spilled over even into the 31st KIFF.

Whispers grew louder at the festival’s inaugural ceremony at Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium over the absence of Swarup Biswas, president of FCTWEI, and other Federation members.

Their no-show was all the more noticeable since both Parambrata and Sudeshna, who had earlier taken legal action against the Federation, were present on stage alongside CM Mamata Banerjee. Reportedly, Biswas wasn’t too pleased about their presence. His absence from KIFF’s signature event, Cine Adda, also raised eyebrows.

Amid this uneasy atmosphere, Parambrata said at KIFF on Sunday that he no longer intends to pursue any legal action against the Federation. “I think discussions can clear up misunderstandings.

I won’t go down the legal route again,” he said. However, he also added that he couldn’t speak for others who had joined the earlier legal battle. Parambrata also cleared the air around his hosting duties at KIFF stage and said the orders came from the Information and Cultural Affairs department, West Bengal.