Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali novel "Shesher Kobita", a love story adapted into a feature film commissioned by the Culture Ministry to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Nobel Laureate, was screened here today marking its commercial release.
Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, the Bengali film "Shesher Kobita" (The Last Poem), an iconic love story set in Shillong and said to be written by Tagore in Bengaluru, was premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2013 and was shown in festivals in New York and Singapore in 2014.
"The Ministry of Culture had in 2012 during Tagore's 150th birth anniversary celebrations, promised to make this film and this has been fulfilled by us today. This is our tribute to the great poet and writer," Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said at the screening.
The film recounts the love story of protagonist Amit Ray played by actor Rahul Bose whose virulent intellectualism reveals itself in its opposition to all forms of tradition.
Ray meets Labanya, played by three-time national award winner Konkona Sen Sharma, in a car accident and the romance builds up in the misty hills of Shillong.
"This is a complete film and the people involved have worked very hard on it. This film will take Rabindranath Tagore's work to greater heights," the minister said.
Jointly produced by National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) and the Culture Ministry, the film is also simultaneously being released in Kolkata by the director today and will hit the theatres across India soon.
"Talking about Rabindranath Tagore here would be like showing the sun its light. He was a great poet, thinker, philosopher and a human being. He established the identity of India in the world. He also gave us our national anthem. It is he who took the culture, the literature of India to the various corners of the world," the minister said.
