The press conference of the Bengali film Pinjar was graced by the director Rudrajit Roy, music composer Ratul Shankar, actors Sagnik Mukherjee, Joy Sengupta, Mallika Banerjee Roy, Satakshi Nandy, Ishan Mazumder, and others.

The film is about a bird-catcher, Tarak, who resides in a small town. He goes around the forests with his daughter Jhimli. He captures birds for a living. Paromita is a widowed teacher and searches for meaning in her lonely life, while Shefali endures the torment of an abusive marriage. Iqbal is a migrant Muslim man who is caught between longing and fear in a place that refuses to accept him. Their lives are separate, but they mirror one another through the story of a wild bird.

Rudrajit Roy is a filmmaker, critical care specialist, and co-founder of Chasing Dreams Films.

The director said, “I wanted to make films so that they could be shown in various festivals. I have been exposed to world films for a long time now. I have never considered filmmaking to be a second job. It is more like a passion and love for me. Hence, I have never been obsessed with the commercial side of making films. I have focused on the academic side”.

The producer of the film is Rina Roy.

The music has been composed by Ratul Shankar. “We used minimalistic music for the film. I give credit to the director for understanding that minimal music can also do wonders for his film. Silence is as important as music. We both agreed on this, and hence the music is only there where it is actually needed,” said the music composer.

The cast of the film consists of Sagnik Mukherjee (Tarak), Mallika Banerjee Roy (Shefali), Satakshi Nandy (Paromita), Ishan Mazumder (Iqbal), and Swastidipa Rabidas (Jhimli).

Ishan Mazumder said, “I have always worked in urban characters. This is the first time I have worked in such a different character. I did a workshop to get into the character. I understood their diction and body language to look ideal for this character. This was a challenge for me, and I hope I did a good job”.

Pinjar was screened under the Bengali Panorama section at the 31^st Kolkata International Film Festival.

The film is 137 minutes long.

Priyanka Dutta