Based on Satyajit Ray’s work, ‘The Storyteller’ is a take against plagiarism

New Delhi | Updated: 23 November, 2022 11:16 am IST

“The Storyteller is a humble tribute to Satyajit Ray, the doyen of Indian cinema,” said actor Hussain, who played a pivotal role in the film.

Director Ananth Mahadevan’s The Storyteller was screened at the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa on Tuesday. It is based on Oscar-winning legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro. The film gives a strong message against plagiarism.

It is based on maverick storyteller Tarini Ranjan Bandhopadhyay who is notorious for not sticking to one job and has switched 32 jobs in his working career. Now at 60, retired in Kolkata and a widower, his only regret is that he could never find the time to give his late wife Anuradha the vacation she always desired. Now suddenly out of a job, he has all the time in the world, but his near ones aren’t close to him.

Addressing the ‘Table Talk’ after the screening of the film, producer Suchhanda Chatterjee said the film gives a strong message against plagiarism. “It was a difficult journey of three years, but we are happy with the outcome,” she said.

“The Storyteller is a humble tribute to Satyajit Ray, the doyen of Indian cinema,” said actor Hussain, who played a pivotal role in the film.

Speaking on the occasion, actress Tanishtha Chatterjee said that it is the responsibility of the artist community to respect the originality of somebody’s creation and avoid plagiarism. “Copyright is a challenging issue, not only in cinema but in every field these days.”

Chatterjee elucidated that the purpose of art is to lead the artists and viewers to question themselves.

Hussain said, “As per Karmik law, anything you get free, you need to face consequences for that. So for any product or service you receive, be it art or anything, either you should pay money or gratitude and acknowledgment to the creator. That should be the founding principle to deal with the issue of copyright.”

Speaking about his character, Hussain said an actor should travel from his smaller self to the larger self, so that he can engross himself in the story and character. “To create empathy for the character is one of the biggest qualities of an actor,” he said.

The film is written by Kireet Khurana and produced by Quest Films. It stars veteran actor Paresh Rawal, Adil Hussain, Revathy, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Jayesh More.

The film is also competing for the coveted Golden Peacock at the 53rd edition of the IFFI.