Suman Ghosh’s latest film Puratawn, which marks Sharmila Tagore’s return to Bengali films, is set to have its world premiere at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival on September 13, the National Award-winning filmmaker announced on Thursday.
Puratawn will also be the closing night film at the Indian International Film Festival in Boston on September 15, Ghosh added. Sharmila Tagore, Rituparna Sengupta and Ghosh will be present at both the events.
In Puratawn, Sharmila Tagore portrays a matriarch confronting the challenges of ageing. The story is set during her 80th birthday, celebrated by her daughter, (played by Rituparna Sengupta), and her son-in-law (played by Indraneil Sengupta). As the family gathers at their ancestral home, the week-long events that unfold become the core of the story, exploring the dynamics of their relationships.
The film is produced by Rituparna Sengupta’s Bhavna Aaj O Kal.
Puratawn brings together several of Ghosh’s regular collaborators, including Ravi Kiran Ayyagari as director of photography and Angelica Monica Bhowmick as associate director. Acclaimed filmmaker Aditya Vikram Sengupta serves as the editor. The sound design is handled by Dipankar Jojo Chaki while the music is composed by Alokananda Dasgupta. The production design is led by Tanmoy Chakraborty (Kabuliwala).
Ghosh is a regular at international festival circuits. In 2023, his Scavenger of Dreams premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. His 2024 documentary Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen was showcased at the Rotterdam Film Festival. Ghosh also achieved commercial success with Kabuliwala, which became a hit in India upon its release in Christmas 2023.
Sharmila Tagore was most recently seen in the Disney+ Hotstar original film Gulmohar (2023). Meanwhile, Rituparna Sengupta’s latest release was Kaushik Ganguly’s Ajogyo where she collaborated with Prosenjit Chatterjee for the 50th time on screen.
