‘Star-studded adda’: Mamata makes surprise visit to Nandan

KOLKATA: After her hectic two-day visit to North Bengal, where she reviewed the post-flood and landslide situations, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a surprise visit to Nandan, the main venue for the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), on Tuesday evening.

The moment Banerjee entered the Nandan premises around 5 pm, the cinephiles rushed to catch a glimpse of her. The CM, accompanied by ministers Indranil Sen and Aroop Biswas, headed to the conference room at Nandan and stayed for nearly an hour.

Also present were filmmaker Gautam Ghose, chairman, KIFF, directors Haranath Chakraborty and Arindam Sil, music composer Indraadip Dasgupta, and actress-TMC MP June Maliah.

Banerjee said she didn’t inform anyone prior to her visit to Nandan on Tuesday. “I came for an adda session,” she told the media with a smile. She spoke about how celebrities associated with films and music remain busy throughout the year, but KIFF brings them all under one roof. “This festival feels like a milan mela. This was a surprise visit,” the CM said.

When asked if she has plans to watch any films at KIFF, she said she has just returned from her visit to North Bengal and has other work to attend to. However, she went down memory lane with the celebrities and ministers present at Nandan, sharing old anecdotes. “I shared some fun incidents with them,” she said.

Meanwhile, this year, the Cine Adda has been renamed as ‘Gane Gane Cinema’ by Banerjee. She said she appreciates films and music and has been informed about the songs that will be performed at ‘Gane Gane Cinema’ on Tuesday at Ektara Mancha.