Permission denied for shooting of film on young Tagore's 'love-life'
Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal's Santiniketan has refused to grant permission for on-campus shooting of "Nalini" - a Priyanka Chopra production on the "relationship" between teenaged Rabindranath Tagore and a Marathi girl, university sources said. "This is an educational institution. We don't want to disrupt its environment by allowing the shooting of commercial films," officiating Vice-Chancellor Sabuj Koli Sen said yesterday.
Decision made after discussing Nalini script with authorities: Sen
"We have come to the decision after discussing the (Nalini) script with all authorities concerned, including ashramites and experts on Tagore. We can't allow the shoot of such films on the campus, it might hurt the sentiments of millions," Sen said. At the meeting with university officials, the director of "Nalini", Ujjwal Chatterjee, was apprised of the decision, Sen said.
What exactly is 'Nalini' about?
The film "Nalini" is based on written documents and "extensive research" on 17-year-old Tagore's "relation" with Annapurna Turkhad in 1878-79, director Chatterjee had said. Turkhad was the daughter of a Maharashtra-based family friend, who taught young Tagore western manners before his trip to the UK.
Former officiating Vice-Chancellor had granted us permission: Chatterjee
Chatterjee claimed former officiating Vice-Chancellor Swapan Kumar Datta granted written permission for campus shoots in January. Chatterjee asserted he would move Human Resource Development Ministry for its intervention. To Sen's view that "Nalini" was a commercial film, Chatterjee said, "Every film has a commercial side. But films like Nalini are artistic exercises which stem from the desire to document a part of history."
Datta gave consent to shooting after suggesting to delete scene
Chatterjee argued feature film "Nalini" was a Tagore biopic, which drew instances from researched documents. Datta had given consent to the shooting on behalf of Visva-Bharati after the central university's suggestions for deleting a scene and revising the script were taken into consideration, Chatterjee said. The university cannot revoke its previous consent letter under the tenure of a new officiating VC, he added.
Will take up the issue with the Center: Chatterjee
"We will take up the issue with the Center and produce all previous correspondences with former officiating VC Swapan Kumar Datta, including the last letter on January 6," the "Nalini" director, Ujjwal Chatterjee, said.
