Praktan, the film, premieres abroad

KOLKATA: It's not often that a Bengali film premieres abroad. And that, too, across five cities of USA and the gulf. Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay's 'Praktan' - a nostalgic tale of two estranged lovers bumping into one another - will be screened at Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Jersey, New York, Dallas, Seattle, Toronto and Dubai on May 28, the day the film will be released in Kolkata.
And that's not all. At Los Angeles, the premier is being arranged by a Bengali couple who has taken the initiative to organize a publicity campaign for the screening. From selling tickets to distributing sweets with 'Praktan' embossed on them, Babli Chakraborty has gone the full distance to ensure that the initiative meets with success. "I have never been connected with movies, but was drawn into them after watching Shiboprosad's last film 'Belasheshe'. It was a moving tale which had hundreds of Bengalis across USA and the rest of the world pining to watc it. Unfortunately, few could see it in a theatre. So, after meeting the director in USA last year, I felt it would be nice if we could release the film in theatres in USA. And now, the entire Bengali community is excited about it," said Babli, who along with her husband has been busy overseeing the premier show preparations.
The screening abroad will not just reach his film to a wider audience, but will also be a major step ahead for Bengali cinema. "There is a huge audience for Bengali films outside Kolkata and even India. They eagerly wait to watch Bengali films and crave to watch it on the big screen. The more they do, the better for we will then have a regular and wider market to sell our films. And, of course, appreciation will pour in from a larger audience," said Mukhopadhyay. Starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Soumitra Chatterjee and Sabitri Chatterjee, Praktan is jointly directed by Nandita Ray and Mukhopadhyay.