Muktodhara

Muktodhara is a 2012 Bengali film directed by Shiboprosad mukherjee and Nandita Roy.^[2][3] This is a story about the prisoners of a correctional home ‒ Presidency jail who all have a dark past life but here they are being reformed day by day.^{[4][5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]}

Background

The background of the plot dates back to the year 2005 when Inspector General of Prisons B.D. Sharma invited renowned dancer Alokananda Roy to train prisoners. She taught them, including Nigel, to perform Tagore's dance drama, Valmiki Pratibha - the story of a dacoit Ratnakar who reformed to become the sage Valmiki who wrote Ramayan. The dance drama has been staged at least a hundred times across the country to rave reviews. Alokananda Roy didn't ask a single question about the inmates' past but simply encouraged them to internalise the rhythm of dance. She says Nigel is perhaps her most public success story but there are many other prisoners who succumbed to the healing touch of dance and came to think of it as meditation. The police officer would allow a group of almost 100 prisoners out on parole to perform Valmiki Pratibha. He knew he was taking a risk, certainly with Nigel. But not a single prisoner ever tried to flee. As their mutual confidence grew, the prisoners were allowed to first perform in jail, then in Kolkata's public auditoriums and then in Mumbai and Delhi as well. The police officer's effort has earned international recognition for trying to truly turn jails into correctional homes. Indeed, after leaving jail in 2009, Nigel has set up a facilities management company from where he hires out security and housekeeping staff. He also employs 38 of his fellow former jail inmates, giving them what he always wanted: a second chance. Muktadhara has attempted to capture just that. A therapy that extends to the prisoners what they desperately need the most: a second chance in life.^[25][26]

Plot

Niharika Chatterjee is the wife of public prosecutor Arindam Chatterjee. Arindam is a dominating husband who is a male chauvinist. He dominates over Niharika. Thus, Niharika is unhappy with her marriage life. They both have a sweet little child who is deaf and dumb. Niharika organises a party for girls who are physically challenged like her own daughter. There, she meets new Inspector General of correctional cells of West Bengal, Mr. Brij Narayan Dutta. The latter informs Niharika his plans and ideas of reforming convicts of the correctional cells. Being aware of Niharika's talent and skills, he requests Niharika to help him organise an event with the prisoners. Niharika agrees to the proposal with a condition that her husband needs to be kept in the dark. One day while they were having a rehearsal, Niharika wished to stage Rabindranath Tagore's Valmiki-Pratibha involving the inmates of the correctional cells. Niharika informs B.N.Dutta about it. B.N.Dutta likes the idea and approves the proposal. In the cellular jail, Yusuf Mohammad is a very well known criminal. He is accused of murder, kidnapping, etc. B.N.Dutta wants him to be in the play. He succeeds in convincing Mohommad Yousuf. It is he who later becomes Niharika's main protagoinst in the stage play. Mohammad Yousuf gradually changes as Niharika keeps training them. They plan to escape from the jail at the day of the play. But, the feeling of guilt encompasses Mhd. Yousuf and though they got out of the jail through a tunnel, they return and complete the play.^[27][28][29]

Cast

• Rituparna Sengupta as Niharika Chatterjee
• Nigel Akkara as Yusuf Mohd Khan
• Bratya Basu as Arindam chatterjee
• Debshankar Haldar as Brij Narayan Dutta
• Kharaj Mukherjee as Lakhan Panda
• Suchitra Chakraborty as Spriha
• Shiboprosad mukherjee as Happy Singh
• Shambhunath Shaw as Nagen
• Arjun Sharma as Firdous
• Sarit Shekhar Banerjee as shyamal
• Milan kundu as Babu

Direction

Nandita Roy, also the screen playwright of the film has been working in the film industry for the past 28 years. She has worked in best banners with leading directors and in top production houses. She has worked in many National Award winning films and television serials. She has directed as well as produced a number of television serials. She was the Creative Director and first Programming Head of ETV Bangla, one of the leading channels of West Bengal and was responsible for its establishment in Kolkata. She is the member of Indian Film Director’s Association, Mumbai and Indian Film Writer’s Association, Mumbai. She has also co-directed Bengali films like Alik Sukh, Icche, Ramdhanu and Accident Shiboprosad mukherjee has been working in the television media for the last 15 years. He was associated with ETV Bangla, a 24 hours satellite channel from its inception and was responsible for its programme designing. He has been involved in several television serials as a producer and as a programme designer. As an actor, he has worked with many leading directors of this film industry. He has also co-directed Bengali films like Alik Sukh, Icche, Ramdhanu and Accident.^[30][31]

Soundtrack

All songs written and composed by Surojit Chatterjee & Kamolini Chatterjee. 

Achievements

Muktodhara turned out to be the biggest hit of Tollywood for the year 2012 and ran in theatres successfully for 75 days. It was the first Bengali film in a decade to be screened at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. He was all praise for the film. Muktodhara was also watched by the Governor of West Bengal Sri M.K. Narayanan. Muktodhara has been accepted by the Legal Aid services of West Bengal as part of their curriculum and also has been included in the Study of Women’s Stress and Distress Management by Calcutta University.

Muktodhara won the Best Film Award in Anadalok Film Awards’2012. In the same year, Kamalini Chatterjee won the Best Lyrics award for the soundtrack ‘Alo’ from this film in Radio Mirchi Awards.

See also

• Icche
• Accident
• Alik Sukh
• Ramdhanu

References

External links

• Official website
• Muktodhara at the Internet Movie Database