Director Suman Ghosh on Puratawn, “I had thought of it as a poem when I was writing it”

By Subhash K. Jha -

April 11, 2025 - 12:05 PM IST

Filmmaker Suman Ghosh’s Bengali film Puratawn releases in theatres today. The film has an ensemble cast of Sharmila Tagore, Rituparna Sengupta, Indraneil Sengupta and Ekavali Khanna. Ghosh digs deep into his film in an interview with us.

Director Suman Ghosh on Puratawn, “I had thought of it as a poem when I was writing it”

Puratawn is about the loss of precious memory. How much of this elegiac excursion is personal?
Probably so. But elegiac by its very definition - as per my knowledge - has a quality of lament…of a yearning. Puratawn is more about acceptance and a celebration of the past. No, it’s not personal. But you see, I am a person who loves nostalgia. It’s a kind of a solace to me, to take refuge in nostalgia when the current world is going on with such a fast pace and hurriedness. So, I guess the loss of memory of the current is a narrative device to delve into the past.

Where would you place Puratawn in your repertoire?
How can I rate my own film? It’s for the audience and the critic to judge. But I can definitely say that Puratawn is my most intimate film. I had thought of it as a poem when I was writing it.

Was Sharmila Tagore your first and last choice?
I had this idea a long time back with Sharmila Tagore in mind. But I kept it on the back burner as she was not doing films at that point of time. But then, of course, she did Gulmohar after a long gap.

So, how did the incandescent Ms Tagore come into the picture?
So, what happened was that Rituparna informed me that Sharmila Tagore is interested in doing Bengali films and whether I can write something with her in mind. And coincidentally I was also supposed to meet Sharmila Tagore in California for a program organized in celebration of 100 years of Satyajit Ray. So, then I broached the subject and she liked the story. After three months, I narrated the script to her in Kolkata, which she loved it. That’s how she came on board.

But Sharmila Tagore and Rituparna Sengupta don’t look like mother and daughter
I don’t think it is always true, even in real life, that the children look like both their parents. So, I don’t really understand and agree with your comment. And in films, it’s definitely not true. For example, in Gulmohar, Manoj Bajpayee plays Sharmila Tagore’s son. Does it look okay to you? But none of the critics also mention that.

You divide you time between academia in Miami and filmmaking in Kolkata... How compatible are the two worlds?
My worlds are not compatible. And that’s why I enjoy navigating the two worlds. It gives a certain perspective.

Bangla cinema seems to be going through a crisis of sorts, trapped between Ray's legacy and Bollywood's influence. Would you agree with that?
Bangla cinema is in some sort of a crisis but that is not due to the two reasons you mention. It’s a long topic which cannot be succinctly described here. But there are good things happening too. Recently I saw a film called Bohurupi, which I really liked. It is probably going to be the highest grosser Bangla film too in many years. It is the sort of rooted commercial Bengali cinema, which is the need of the hour. I see hope for the future.

You have been making films for almost twenty years... Is it getting tougher to make films on your terms?
It is always tough to make films on your own terms. Rituparno Ghosh had told me once, ‘To maintain your aesthetics and continuing to do films without compromising is the most difficult thing to do.’ Market pressures and a host of other things make you compromise. After 14 films, I realize what he had said. Hence I am so happy with Puratawn: that it is uncompromising. It is honest.

Also Read: Sharmila Tagore and Rituparna Sengupta to star in Suman Ghosh’s Bengali film Puratawn