The book, based on the Bengali film Konttho, was released at the International Kolkata Book Fair.

Director duo Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee graced the event.

Speaking at the event, Nandita Roy said, “I have dedicated the book to my parents, whom I lost at a young age to cancer. The story of Konttho was special to us. When we thought of the story, we were working somewhere else. The film was first titled Sound of Silence; we changed it to Konttho. The film will inspire many people. You can continue to fight even after losing everything and emerge victorious”.

Shiboprosad Mukherjee played the role of the radio jockey Arjun in the film. “Film preservation is very important right now. Coming out with a book is a way of preserving a film. Oral cancer is a great problem for many people in third-world countries. Many people lose their voice due to this. We met Bibhuti Chakraborty and saw his work for people with oral cancer. This motivated us and inspired us greatly,” said Shiboprosad.

The idea was conceived in 2002. However, it took a long time before the makers could make the film. Firstly, they needed a good script, then they required a good producer to produce the film. Initially, the director duo did not have these, so the making of the film got delayed.

The book gives detailed information about the making of the film, how the film was conceived, and many other such facts.

Konttho has been made in Malayalam. The name of the film is Meri Awas Suno. The film’s cast consisted of Jayasurya, Manju Warrier, and others.

The book is priced at Rs 300 and has been published by Deep Prakashan.

Priyanka Dutta