Manikbabur Megh completes 100 days in theatre

On Saturday, the film Manikbabur Megh completed 100 days in the movie theatres. Directed by Abhinandan Banerjee with Chandan Sen in the lead, the film is far from regular mainstream Bengali cinema. According to experts, its long run in a theatre gives a positive message for Bengali cinema in general.  

It was heard before Durga Puja that the film, starring Chandan Sen as the protagonist, would not be screened in Nandan anymore. Still, Nandan authorities decided to run the film. One of the producers of the film, Bauddhayan Mukherji told Anandabazar Online, "This is like an unexpected gain. I don't know why Nandan still screens the film. But I am grateful to them. We are enjoying the fact that people are still coming to watch the film."  

Also read: Manikbabur Megh review: Abhinandan Banerjee and Chandan Sen present a magical love song through their cinema  

The film is Abhinandan's debut as a director. Did he hope for a hundred days? He said, "I did not. But I feel wonderful today." he believes that if a film is good then people will find it. He said, "Many people wrote poems and drew pictures after watching the film. They posted on social media and sent these to me. Such a craze around a Bengali film after so many days helped the film to reach a larger audience." Abhinandan believes that this success will inspire the new Bengali filmmakers. "New producers are encouraged to invest because of such a success."  

According to Nandan, ticket sales have reduced compared to what it was before, but still, people are coming to watch the film. However, the makers do not want to reveal anything about the film's income. Cinema theorist and professor Sanjay Mukherjee watched the film. He thinks that the film proved that cinema can be successful without songs or stars. He drew the example of Tapan Sinha's film Golpo Holeo Sotyi. He said, "If you can tell a humane story, that will win people's hearts. In Pather Panchali, Satyajit Ray reduced dialogue and increased sound for managing the budget. Still, people loved the film."