Title of film : Nirvana: The Salvation
Director Name : Gautam Halder
Cast & crew :
Producer : Gautam Halder
Editor : Amit Debnath
Cast :
Synopsis : One would assume that the two women coming so close, under one roof could spell a clash of times. In actuality, it’s just the other way round. The story is about two women, set in North Kolkata, which travels between two times. Hasi, a young wife of 27, comes with her husband Jyoti to aged Brahmin widow Bijolibala’s house as a tenant. Though Bijolibala lives in the past engulfed in her memories, she relates too firmly with the changes around ushered in by the modern times. The story begins when Bijolibala meets with an accident, requiring a surgery and O-ve blood. Since it’s an uncommon group, it’s hard to find any donor for her. Hence, Hasi volunteers to donate blood herself. Bijolibala gets discharged from the hospital in a week but is advised complete bed rest with the plastered leg. Now the crisis arises – who will perform the pujas at home? Who’s going to recite the Lakshmi Panchali every Thursday? Of course, there are young women around, but the responsibility falls on the young mother Hasi. Forced by the circumstances and the endearing charm of Bijolibala, Hasi agrees to do the puja. Soon, Hasi’s dedication and warm presence soothe the mind of Bijolibala. Hasi’s child Bhutu too becomes the cynosure of her eyes. But all hell breaks loose when Hasi is diagnosed with cancer. Though the world turns upside down for her husband Jyoti, Hasi takes it all in splendid cool. She is shattered to leave her child, husband and surroundings in such haste but she will not give up the precious remaining time left to her life. She speaks of quality memories of their times together at river banks, sunsets, coffee houses, theatre halls and others. Finally, she dies one evening watching dusk fall. Bhutu finds a new mother in Bijolibala and things seem to settle down gradually. The twist in the tale comes when all of a sudden a letter arrives for Hasi. The letter reveals that Hasi was originally Hasina, a Muslim, who had married Brahmin Jyoti, and chose to spend rest of her life as a Hindu Brahmin! She had frequented Bijoli’s little mandir in the house, prayed and performed pujas! Her child has become a part of the household! Bijolibala is faced with a spiritual dilemma. But gradually she wins over the adversities of reality and time and preserves her intrinsic human values. Bijolibala is like an illuminating dissent amidst the darkness of intolerance, dogma and prejudice. She is undoubtedly an unparalleled role model for others to build a better world in the context of our time. A
Director Bio : Gautam Halder found his creative zeal at a very early stage of his life in still photography and exhibited various photographs in several exhibitions, all over the country. He had been the official photographer of famous legend Peter Brook who was then conducting the film workshop on the Indian epic, “Mahabharata”. This motivated him in exploring composite arts, which led him to explore, communicate and transmit his imagination to the audience in art-theatre as well as in the cinema. His odyssey in these dual lines began in creation of the first successful and popular theatre named, “Kachher Manush”.The second shortly followed was the first brave experimental cineplay (a cross fertilisation of cinema and theatre on stage), Rabindranath Tagore’s , “Nashtaneed”, which received wide compliments of the audience too. There after he experimented on another epic theatre of Tagore by improvising in a contemporary form names, “Rakta Karabi” (The Red Oleander). His docu-feature on living Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, “Strings for Freedom” came up shortly in 1999. This film was also selected for IFFI - 99’ and was equally responded by Intercontinental Film Festivals. In 2004, his debut feature film “Bhalo Theko” (Forever Yours) won crowning glory, when three National Awards ornamented the excellence per se in three disciplines of the Film. It was also the debut film of the renowned actress Vidya Balan. In the same year, this film received several accolades from the International festivals and awarded too.
Filmography :
