Soumyajit Majumdar, a Bengali actor and filmmaker, brought his film “Joyguru” back from the Cannes Film Market. The life of Baul folk singer Parvathy Baul serves as the basis for the movie. The movie also represents a cross-border partnership with its Indo-USA-UK-France co-production. The scripting is currently nearing completion.

Undivided Bengal is the birthplace of the ancient spiritual tradition of Baul, which is designated by UNESCO as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a song and dance form known as the Bhakti Yogic parampara. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, and Rabindranath Tagore have all been influenced by it.

“My connection with the Cannes Film Festival began in 2017 with the premiere of the French film Crash Test Aglae. I had a significant role in a foreign movie. It feels complete now that my film Joyguru was shown at the Cannes Film Market in 2024. Joyguru is more than just a movie; it’s my prayer. Nearly two years have passed since I began my research on Parvathy ji. Though it is a worldwide phenomenon, Indian Baul is misunderstood and frequently dismissed as folk music. The life of Parvathy ji is proof positive that Baul’s spiritual force can change people. Although the movie is based on her real story, it won’t be a biopic” said Soumyajit Majumder.

“Soumyajit has done a lot of hard work in researching and preparing for this story for over a year, and I appreciate his commitment and sincerity for this purpose. It’s not an attempt to recount the life narrative of yet another person. The intention is obvious from the outset: to serve Baul’s exquisite, ancient, and ageless spiritual legacy. It should be an offering of seva, or selfless service, to all of the Baul gurus and the lineage. I firmly believe that the core teaching of this route has a profoundly healing and transformative power, thus now is the ideal moment to spread Baul wisdom to a larger audience through this media” said Parvathy.

The film is produced by California-based producers Aniruddha and Aparna Dasgupta (Adited Motion Pictures – USA/India) along with Soumyajit Majumdar’s LOK Arts Collective (India/UK). It is co-produced by Munsur Ali (Chairman of London City Corporation Culture and Heritage, Founder-Director of Moringa Studios) and Paris-based Chayan Sarkar ( Ambassador of the city of Toulouse, France).

The principal photography on the film will begin in 2025 under the leadership of India’s A-list cinematographer Ravi Verman.

Priyanka Dutta