Upal Sengupta forays into filmmaking, creates an animated short film, Mirage

After performing as Bangla band Chandrabindoo’s lead singer for decades, Upal Sengupta is all set to screen his debut film, an animated short, Mirage. The 4.10-minute-long film delves into the pervasive presence of smartphones in our lives. Upal conceptualised the story and directed the film while Pushan Chakravarty and his team created the animation. National Award-winning music director Prabuddha Banerjee composed the background score. The film is produced by Upal, along with his friends, Udayan Bhattacharya, Debaditya Chatterjee, and Pushan. Mirage has started its festival round. 

Talking about his venture, Upal said, “I had three dreams since my childhood – to perform on stage, to create a comic strip, and to make an animation film. I have been performing on stage for years. With Puchki and Cookie, my dream of comic strip has materialised. Puchki and Cookie took a trip abroad with the help of the Italian Consulate to Kolkata. Finally, I got a chance to make an animated short film. Initially, I thought I would do the animation also. However, Pushan and his team worked on it brilliantly,” he said.  

Mirage delves into the journey of a young man who becomes completely absorbed in video games while wandering through a desert. Being unaware of his surroundings, he faces a life-altering crisis.

Talking about the film, Upal said, “About four years ago, the concept of Mirage was born after we stumbled upon a news article about an individual who sold one of their kidneys to purchase an Apple iPhone. Although this news was startling, it prompted me to contemplate why this person deemed the phone more valuable than one of their vital organs.”