Independent filmmaking continues to face many difficulties. Debutant filmmakers frequently struggle to find theatres to display their work because of a lack of funding and recognition, as well as a variety of rejections. Actor-director Tathagata Mukherjee and Cafe Ohana Film Club have created a novel and inspiring solution in this instance. Juto, an 80-minute silent film by first-time director Sourish Dey, was thus released in Cafe Ohana as part of a city-first initiative. This was the first premiere of the film.

Tathagata Mukherjee, Debleena Dutt, Vikram Chatterjee, Sreelekha Mitra, Madhurima Basak, Payel De, Soumya Mukherjee, Lama, Deboprasad Halder, and others were present at Café Ohana for the premiere.

The second premiere took place at Nazrul Tirtha in the presence of 50 hearing-impaired people who graced the premiere as special guests. They thoroughly enjoyed the film.

“Juto was finished in 2019 after beginning production in 2017. We were unable to attempt a theatrical release or enter film festivals on a minimal budget. Then Covid occurred. After that, we tried to release the movie but kept being turned down because it was a silent movie without a celebrity. We were looking for alternatives for a release method. Here, Tathagatada and the Café Ohana Film Club have provided us with steadfast support. Juto recently became the first movie in Kolkata to be released in a café, and the entire team is overjoyed about this. I truly appreciate Tathagata da and Aparsi’s efforts in making this possible and selecting us as the path breaker” said debutant director Sourish Dey.

The film is presented by Snigsha Pictures and Café Ohana Film Club.

The background music is by Saheb Chakraborty.

The producers of the film are Surojit Chanda and Snigdha Biswas.

With this step, independent filmmakers will now have a place to show their works to the audience.

A great initiative indeed!!

Priyanka Dutta