25 years of Utsab: Prosenjit says it is one of his best films

Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee is earning acclaim for his performance in Subhrajit Mitra's Devi Chowdhurani. The film was released just ahead of Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the year for Bengalis. The actor is not new to seeing a film of his release during puja, having been part of several other films that have enjoyed a release during this time of the year.

In an exclusive interview with HT, Prosenjit even recalled memories of shooting Utsab, the acclaimed Rituparno Ghosh film set during Durga Puja. Interestingly, the film celebrated 25 years of release this year. It received tremendous acclaim and won Rituparno his first National Film Award in the Best Director category.

Also starring Rituparna Sengupta, Madhabi Mukherjee, and Mamata Shankar, Utsab is a beautifully crafted family drama that explores the intermingling traditions and emotions centred around a family gathering during Durga Puja.

“Utsab is one of my best films,” says Prosenjit, with a smile. “The concept that Ritu took to construct that film has been attempted many times over by other filmmakers, in different languages. The concept of a family coming together, and the internal conflicts that follow… But as always, Ritu was ahead of his time. I stand by that all the time. He left us so soon, but yeah, it was a huge learning experience for me… that film. I miss him. Even my house is named Utsab.”

Rituparno died of a heart attack at his South Kolkata home on May 30, 2013, at the age of 49.