Now Goutam Ghosh to wow Nepal cinegoers

KATHMANDU - After wowing audiences at the 41st International Film Festival of India held in Goa last year and winning the best film award, Indian director Goutam Ghosh will now be casting his spell over Kathmandu next week with three of his films to be screened in the capital city.

The 60-year-old Kolkata-based director, who has made films in Hindi, Bengali and Telugu, arrived in Kathmandu Saturday to take part in a workshop as well as the screening of three of his films, including the acclaimed “Moner Manush”, based on the life, philosophy and music of renowned 19th century baul - spiritual singer - Lalan Fakir, whose songs inspired Rabindranath Tagore and other Bengali intellectuals of his time.

“Moner Manush”, which casts Bengali star Prasenjit as Lalan, won the award for the best film in Goa last year.

The mini film festival starting Tuesday will screen “Paar”, the 1984 film starring Shabana Azmi, Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah, Yatra, made in 2007 and with Rekha in a casting coup, and “Moner Manush”.

Ghosh’s arrival comes after Bollywood diva Manisha Koirala, now mostly based in Kathmandu following her marriage last year to a Nepali businessman, said she would love to be directed by Ghosh.

The programme is being organised by the Indian Culture Centre in Kathmandu.

Indian films enjoy tremendous popularity in Nepal. “Dabangg”, directed by Abhinav Kashyap and with Salman Khan in the lead, proved the most successful film in Nepal in 2010 running in packed theatres while the films of Satyajit Ray, who has shot one of his films in Nepal, are regarded with admiration.

(Sudeshna Sarkar can be contacted at sudeshna.s@ians.in)