Speaker 1:
Let me tell you, this is Indrajit. He is from our neighborhood. Later, he moved to College Street and directed many films and serials there. Among them are Bamakhepa and Sadhak Ramprasad. While making these shows, he faced many dangers. Acting in or directing these roles is no simple matter. Arindam played Sadhak Bamakhepa and was eventually forced to stop. Indrajit also directed Ramprasad, and although he completed it, he faced immense losses and hardships. Let's hear from him. You did Ramprasad, right?
Indrajit:
Yes, I did Ramprasad. It was probably around 2009-10.
Speaker 1:
Quite recent then. Go on.
Indrajit:
I am actually from this neighborhood. Our ancestral home is near Harinavi. My father was born here. Later, he moved to Kolkata. My grandfather, Surendranath Chakraborty, also lived here in the Chakraborty-para area. The house is still there. From there, my father moved to Kolkata; my grandfather worked at Grindlays Bank. So, I was born and raised in Kolkata.
Speaker 1:
How did you find my address?
Indrajit:
There is a very famous restaurant in our area called "Favorite Cabin." It's almost a hundred years old. I go there in the evenings to hang out with friends. There, I met a writer and intellectual named Sujit Haldar. He is a very well-read and kind person. One day, Sujit Da told me that he had recently walked a long distance with a monk. I asked where he walked to, and he said, "Assam, to Kamakhya." I was surprised and said, "Why didn't you tell me? I would have joined too." He said he didn't know I was that "crazy." Then he told me about his Gurudev and suggested I visit him. That's how I came here to meet Gurudev. We sat and talked about many things.
Indrajit:
During our conversation, I told Gurudev about a strange experience I had while working on the Ramprasad serial. The shooting was wonderful; we had so much fun every day, and my unit was very happy. But the trouble started after the serial ended. Shortly after it finished, the actress who played Ramprasad's wife died of cancer within 15 days of being diagnosed. It was shocking.
Indrajit:
Then, one night, I had a slight fever—about 101 degrees. It seemed like nothing. Since my father is no more and my mother was unwell, I called a local boy to get some paracetamol. The next morning, when I tried to get out of bed, my entire body felt numb. I tried to reach for the wall or the door, but my hands kept slipping. I couldn't even touch my nose or eyes properly. My body had lost all coordination.
Indrajit:
I went to the bathroom, but after finishing, I couldn't even tie my clothes. We called a doctor who suggested an immediate nerve test. A friend took me to Sealdah for the tests. The doctor performing the tests was baffled; he said everything looked normal, yet I was in this condition. My state worsened, and I was admitted to the Medical College Hospital near my house. The doctors there said it looked like GBS (Guillain-Barré Syndrome) and warned that within 10 hours, I might have respiratory failure and need a ventilator. They suggested moving me to a different facility like PG Hospital.
Indrajit:
My family was terrified and moved me to a private hospital. Even after numerous tests, they couldn't find a medical cause. While I was in the hospital, another strange thing happened. I called my friend Alok Datta, who wrote the script for Ramprasad. He loved me dearly, and I wondered why he hadn't visited. I found out that as he was leaving a shop near his house, he stepped into a small hole and broke his leg. Then, our cameraman, Gautam Da, had a sudden stomach pain, went in for surgery, and passed away.
Speaker 1:
So, you all suffered a lot.
Indrajit:
Yes, tremendously. Even our producer got caught up in a major legal case and ended up in jail. Later, when Alok and I recovered, we discussed how we must have made some grave mistake. Dealing with such great spiritual figures lightly, as mere entertainment, was probably our error.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. You shouldn't play around with such subjects. You likely didn't maintain the necessary purity in food or conduct.
Indrajit:
That might be true. At lunch, our menu often included fish or chicken. Looking back, I feel that might have been part of it. These were not ordinary men. If Ramprasad's original manuscripts were still available, his songs might have outnumbered Rabindranath's. So many of his works were lost or stolen.
Speaker 1:
I visited his maternal home in Garalgachha. He grew up there. People there say many of his songs are missing. Only a few selected ones remain.
Indrajit:
Yes, so much was stolen or destroyed. There is even a debate about the song "Amar Sadh na Mitilo"; some say it isn't even Ramprasad's, but was stolen and attributed to others.
Speaker 2:
I have a question. Was the life of Ramprasad shown in the serial accurate to history?
Indrajit:
Yes, the script was based on the available books and evidence. We tried to maintain that. But surely there were mistakes. Arindam Da, who played Bamakhepa, also had a terrible car accident. His driver died on the spot, and Arindam Da was hospitalized for a long time. I realized later that making films or shows about such people requires immense caution.
Speaker 1:
I used to watch Arindam's Bamakhepa. It was like an addiction. But later, they added so much "water" (filler/fiction) to it. If Bamakhepa were alive, he would have slapped them! I stopped watching it after a while, even though the acting was good.
Indrajit:
Arindam Da is a very devout person. He performs daily puja at home. I've been to his house; he is a great devotee of the Mother (Goddess Kali). You can't play such roles without being a devotee. Another interesting thing—he had a small Spitz dog. When Arindam Da finished his puja, he would offer the dog a hibiscus (jaba) flower used in the ritual, and the dog would eat it! I've never heard of a dog eating hibiscus flowers, but it happened.
Speaker 2:
These days, many spiritual shows are on TV, but they lack authenticity. Does that impact the actors' lives?
Indrajit:
I can't speak for others. It depends on how they carry themselves. But these are powerful souls. They aren't "dead" in the usual sense. Bamakhepa is still present; they say he still visits Tarapith at midnight. Ramprasad and others are still there in their subtle bodies. If we make mistakes, we face the consequences.
Speaker 1:
What's next for you?
Indrajit:
I'm trying to work on new projects. The lockdown has hit the film industry hard over the last two years. Everything is stagnant. I'm working on a script for an OTT platform. I hope for Gurudev's and the Mother's blessings. Otherwise, as they say, "I'll believe it when I see it."
Speaker 2:
Since you've returned to your old neighborhood after so long, how do you feel?
Indrajit:
It's changed so much. I miss the old Harinavi. There were so many trees—jamun and rose-apple trees. We used to steal fruit as kids. Now they are gone. You used to hear foxes howling at night; you don't hear that anymore. It's all houses and cars now. I remember when only one vehicle—the municipal cleaning truck—would pass by in the morning. That was it. Now it's crowded.
Indrajit:
I remember when my grandmother passed away in the middle of the night. The caretaker at the crematorium was so drunk he couldn't stand. My cousins and I had to cremate her ourselves. Back then, there were no electric furnaces, only wood. It's a vivid memory from this very neighborhood. I didn't even know there was such a beautiful ashram and temple right here until Sujit Da told me.
Speaker 2:
It was all destiny. Everything happens when it's meant to happen.
Indrajit:
I truly believe that.
Indrajit:
Thank you, Gurudev. Pronam.