Exclusive! Ranjan Ghosh on Mahishasur Marddini: After Durga puja celebrations, I want to present the reality of Durgas around us

Ranjan Ghosh takes his time crafting his films. After Ahaa Re with Rituparna Sengupta in 2019, the filmmaker has once again tied up with the actress for his upcoming film, Mahishasur Marddini. Along with Rituparna, the film also features Parambrata Chatterjee and Saswata Chatterjee.

Mahishasur Marddini indicates its deep association with Ma Durga. With Durga Puja around the corner, the film was expected to release during the celebration. However, the film is now slated to release after the celebration. “It will be released after Durga Puja. After all the symbolic puja and celebrations, I want to present the reality of everyday Durgas around us. I want to show how the powerful women around us are usually treated by the society in this film.”

Traditionally, a host of Bengali films are released just before the Durga Puja. This year also, several films, including Parambtrata Chatterjee’s Boudi Canteen, Dev and Prosenjit Chatterjee-starrer Kacher Manush and the third instalment of the Sonada franchise, Karnasubarner Guptodhon. Ranjan said, “I did not want to get lost among the other releases.” The film is now awaiting a censor certificate and it will be released soon. Along with gig stars, the film also features young theatre actors, including Sritama Dey, Aryuun Ghosh, Arunima Halder, and Abhyuday Dey. Koushik Kar, Shaheb Bhattacharya and Poulomi Das are there in special characters. 

Mahishasur Marddini – another name for Ma Durga – tells a story of a 10-year-old deaf-mute girl who is gang-raped and murdered just a night before Durga Puja is scheduled to begin in Kolkata. The story shifts to the house of a landlady and her four college-going tenants busy with last-minute festival preparations. Hearing faint wails from their backyard, they rush out to find a seven-day-old female infant dumped outside in a garbage bin. They rescue the baby and look after her. Through the night, they receive a few guests – some expected and some unexpected. The incidents that unfold thereafter reveal the trials and tribulations faced by women all over.