Hordes of people gathered waiting to catch a last glimpse of the maverick filmmaker
Kolkata:
Braving rains, thousands of cinelovers thronged the state-run cultural complex 'Nandan' hereto bid a tearful farewell to maverick film maker RituparnoGhosh who died on Thursday morning battling pancreatitis.People waited patiently as the queue comprising mournersof all ages, a sizable number of them women, stretched about akilometre.
Songs on death and prayers like Aguner Poroshmoni byRabindranath Tagore were played to pay respects to Mr Ghosh.Policemen had a tough time managing the crowd which had asizeable number of LGBTs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, andTransgender), including members of Sapho for Equality, whoturned up to pay their respects to the film director who haddealt with the issues of alternative sexuality and never hidhis sexual preference.
Mr Ghosh's colleagues and friends from the Tollywoodfraternity - directors, actors, producers, singers, lyricists,poets and musicians - stood near the body as people offeredfloral tributes.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was amongthose who offered wreaths. She was accompanied by herministerial colleagues Arup Biswas, Boby Hakim and BratyoBasu, a theatre personality himself, who broke down.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Surjya KantaMishra and WBPCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya also laid wreathsand paid their homage to the departed soul.
"Mr Ghosh's untimely demise has created a void in the filmindustry. We mourn his death," Mishra said.
Acclaimed film maker Goutam Ghosh said, "I couldn'tbelieve my ears when I was told this morning that Ritu (as hewas known to the film fraternity) is no more. He cannot gothis way...I can't yet believe he is no more around.""He is one person who had shown more sensitivity towardsour rights, our anguish and pains. He accorded respect to ouridentity as humans. He is one who taught us that there isnothing to hide regarding our sexuality," Anandi, a member ofLGBT community, said breaking down.
Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee, who was cast byGhosh in Chokher Bali, Shob Choritro Kalponik, Dosor andUtsab, was too overwhelmed to speak when approached."Please spare me today," he pleaded as he accompanied thehearse on its last journey.
Film maker Raj Chakroborty, one of the most successfulcurrent middle-of-the road film makers, said, "Rituda had anabiding interest in our genres of film making."
Ghosh's long-time associate music director DebajyotiMishra said, "His 'Chitrangada' will one day be accorded itsdue place in history. The national award vindicates that."Recalling how Ghosh had taken months to research onTagore before embarking on his docu-feature, Mishra said, "Hewas a voracious reader and a hard working researcher...He usedto go through books and journals, which dated back tocenturies."
"Rituda's death is a real shocker. He was an inspirationfor young actors and film makers like us. I am numbed withshock and disbelief," Kahani actor Parambrata Chatterjeesaid.
Sujoy Ghosh, Kahani director who donned the garb ofByomkesh in Ghosh's just shot film 'Satyaneshi', and actorIndraneil Sengupta were among those who paid their respects.The flower-bedecked cortege later left for heritageTechnician Studio en route to the crematorium.
Madhabi Mukherjee, who played the title role of Charu inSatyajit Ray's masterpiece Charulata, said, "Bengali film gota new lease of life with Ritu's films at a time when it hadcome to a point of saturation."
Songs on death and prayers like Aguner Poroshmoni byRabindranath Tagore were played to pay respects to Mr Ghosh.Policemen had a tough time managing the crowd which had asizeable number of LGBTs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, andTransgender), including members of Sapho for Equality, whoturned up to pay their respects to the film director who haddealt with the issues of alternative sexuality and never hidhis sexual preference.
Mr Ghosh's colleagues and friends from the Tollywoodfraternity - directors, actors, producers, singers, lyricists,poets and musicians - stood near the body as people offeredfloral tributes.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was amongthose who offered wreaths. She was accompanied by herministerial colleagues Arup Biswas, Boby Hakim and BratyoBasu, a theatre personality himself, who broke down.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Surjya KantaMishra and WBPCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya also laid wreathsand paid their homage to the departed soul.
"Mr Ghosh's untimely demise has created a void in the filmindustry. We mourn his death," Mishra said.
Acclaimed film maker Goutam Ghosh said, "I couldn'tbelieve my ears when I was told this morning that Ritu (as hewas known to the film fraternity) is no more. He cannot gothis way...I can't yet believe he is no more around.""He is one person who had shown more sensitivity towardsour rights, our anguish and pains. He accorded respect to ouridentity as humans. He is one who taught us that there isnothing to hide regarding our sexuality," Anandi, a member ofLGBT community, said breaking down.
Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee, who was cast byGhosh in Chokher Bali, Shob Choritro Kalponik, Dosor andUtsab, was too overwhelmed to speak when approached."Please spare me today," he pleaded as he accompanied thehearse on its last journey.
Film maker Raj Chakroborty, one of the most successfulcurrent middle-of-the road film makers, said, "Rituda had anabiding interest in our genres of film making."
Ghosh's long-time associate music director DebajyotiMishra said, "His 'Chitrangada' will one day be accorded itsdue place in history. The national award vindicates that."Recalling how Ghosh had taken months to research onTagore before embarking on his docu-feature, Mishra said, "Hewas a voracious reader and a hard working researcher...He usedto go through books and journals, which dated back tocenturies."
"Rituda's death is a real shocker. He was an inspirationfor young actors and film makers like us. I am numbed withshock and disbelief," Kahani actor Parambrata Chatterjeesaid.
Sujoy Ghosh, Kahani director who donned the garb ofByomkesh in Ghosh's just shot film 'Satyaneshi', and actorIndraneil Sengupta were among those who paid their respects.The flower-bedecked cortege later left for heritageTechnician Studio en route to the crematorium.
Madhabi Mukherjee, who played the title role of Charu inSatyajit Ray's masterpiece Charulata, said, "Bengali film gota new lease of life with Ritu's films at a time when it hadcome to a point of saturation."
