Tollywood A-listers have come out in support of filmmaker Rahool Mukherjee after the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) barred him from making films for three months.
The Federation accused Mukherjee of violating its rules regarding shooting in a foreign country. FCTWEI president Swarup Biswas said that Mukherjee shot for a film in Bangladesh without informing the Federation as well as the Directors’ Association of Eastern India.
Rahool Mukherjee was helming an untitled film produced by SVF, which was set for a Durga Puja release. Prosenjit Chatterjee, Anirban Bhattacharya, Priyanka Sarkar and Aparajita Adhya were slated to play the lead roles in the movie. SVF later replaced Mukherjee with Soumik Halder as the director.
Soon after the Federation issued its order, top filmmakers from the Bengali film industry rallied in support of the Kishmish and Dilkhush director.
Srijit Mukherji wrote on X, “Banning someone cannot be a solution, neither can clamping down on someone’s right to work.”
Kaushik Ganguly, too, expressed his concern. “Artists respect the institution as long as they enjoy freedom. No power or institution is stronger than an artist,” he wrote on X.
“Stopping a filmmaker from working is wrong, unethical and illegal,” wrote Anjan Dutt on Facebook.
“If there is a hurdle in making a film, not only the director, but also the producers, actors, crew and technicians become frustrated and imperilled,” director Kamaleshwar Mukherjee wrote on Facebook, urging the Federation to reconsider its decision.
“How can you ban an artist,” Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury asked, expressing his dismay at the Federation’s decision.
Arindam Sil questioned the validity of the Federation’s decision. “An institution must play the role of an umbrella, guiding an artist if they commit an error and shielding them from danger. I have questions about the legal validity of the institution punishing an independent artist.”
Birsa Dasgupta quoted Jean-Luc Godard while registering his protest against the decision to debar Mukherjee. “A filmmaker needs a good script, and an able producer. ‘Or a gun and a girl’ (JLG). Rest all, fluff,” he wrote.
