Kolkata: Mother Teresa has featured in at least three very important internationally renowned feature films, one of which starred Charlie Chaplin’s daughter Geraldine Leigh Chaplin in the title role.
Her popularity in international cinema (“The Letters”, “Mother Teresa of Calcutta” and “Mother Teresa: In The Name of God’s Poor”) and television series (“Mother Teresa”) is such that some have been curated to host the Mother Teresa Film Festival in 18 countries with Kolkata being the epicentre.
Why have contemporary big names of Bengali cinema and stage who churn out biopics at frequent intervals never attempted any big project on her?
Almost everyone associated with the film and theatre world of Kolkata admit that Mother’s life had so much of drama that it could lend to conventional biopics or even controversial works.
Besides, the international market opens up the moment Mother Teresa becomes the subject of a well-made film or production. Actor-director Kaushik Sen recalls one production which was set in the backdrop of the day after Mother died. “However, it wasn’t biographical,” Sen said.
Surajit Banerjee, who has played seven biographical characters including Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Sombhu Mitra, couldn’t name a single important Bengali play on her. Was it the foreigner issue that created a distance?
Banerjee, who has played the radical thinker Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, doesn’t agree. Helen Keller has been a subject of a popular play like ‘Janmadin’.
Sister Nivedita too has featured in Bengali productions. “Bengali theatre that’s largely influenced by the Left ideology wasn’t really in sync with the basic tenants of Mother’s life.
The Left ideology wanted to do away with poverty. But poverty had to exist for Mother to help the poorest of the poor,” Banerjee reasons, The Times of India reported.
Besides the male-dominated theatre industry might not be naturally inclined towards productions centred mainly on a woman. “I personally would want to do biopics where I can play the lead. In case of a production of Mother, that might not happen,” Banerjee admits.
Debesh Chattopadhyay, whose ‘Natoker Moto’ was inspired by Keya Chakraborty’s life, believes ignorance on matters about Mother could be the reason.
“It’s true that even international film units have come to Kolkata and to work on her. Yet, we stayed away from doing such films. I have taught at St Augustine’s Day School. That’s very close to the Mother House. But never did I think of writing a screenplay on her,” Chattopadhyay admits.
Mukhopadhyay attributes this apathy to the fact that Kolkata, contrary to being cosmopolitan, subscribes to the ghetto culture. “A spate of works on the Mother will begin the day huge grants are given for this project,” Mukhopadhyay says.
Director Kamaleswar Mukherjee, who has helmed two biographically-inspired works on television (‘Mahanayak’) and cinema (‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’), believes that Tollywood may have maintained an arm’s distance for the fear of little returns from such films. “My ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ wasn’t popular. People didn’t really make a beeline to watch the movie. Producers don’t want to invest if the returns are low,” Mukherjee reasons.
On being reminded that an international market could open up for a Tollywood film if a good film is made on the Mother in English, he says, “Perhaps, this investment model never crossed the mind of anyone in Tollywood. If I ever attempt another biopic, I will remember this.”
Artist Sunita Kumar, who has been close to Mother, is hoping that the trend will catch up soon among Kolkata directors. “People of Kolkata love her.
Perhaps, they may have wondered if they are fit enough to execute this subject. I think, such works should happen in Kolkata,” she says. Perhaps, the canonization might provide a trigger to our directors.