THE NETAJI MYSTERY DEEPENS ... 2
With the impending release of the film 'Gumnami' in October, public expectancy is fever-pitch even as acrimonious debates rage over the ethical justification of connecting Netaji with the reclusive ascetic of Faizabad. While quite a significant section of the extended family of Netaji Bose are up in arms, so to say, against the director, Srijit Mukherjee, and his film, and would spare no means to prevent the release of the film, the director seems to have pulled off a fast on them by managing to escape retribution under the cover of the Mukherjee Commission Report from where he has reportedly drawn all his cinematic material. Distancing himself, thus, from the book, 'Conundrum' by Chandrachur Ghosh and Anuj Dhar as being his source material which the authors had earlier claimed it was, Mukherjee seems to have won the first round of this bout that promises to throw up more hooks and cuts in the days to come post-release.
The irritation of a particular section of the Bose family is conceivable on many counts and they are as follows :
1. The association of Gumnami (Baba) with Netaji denigrates the stature of the patriot premier who in their minds could never have lived incognito as a reclusive monk in hiding which apparently was so opposed to the fundamental tenor of Netaji's character.
2. Gumnami Baba aka Bhagavanji rejected (a) The Great Escape Story of Dr. Sisir Bose -- this would terribly irritate NRB ;
(b) The Marriage in Secret Story of Netaji --- this would ruffle the feathers of those family members who subscribe to the marriage narrative.
3. Gumnami Baba's fantastic exploits overseas in violation of rational limits of human performance which are simply unacceptable to their rational minds. For instance, his participation in the Vietnam War, the Bangladesh War, the Indo-Pak Tashkent Summit, the US-Vietnam Paris Peace Conference etc.
4. The fact that Gumnami Baba rejected his blood relations which Netaji would never have done given his closeness to his kith and kin.
5. The Mukherjee Commission Report did not accept Gumnami Baba as Netaji in the absence of 'clinching evidence'.
6. The Sahay Commission was inconclusive about the identity of Gumnami Baba.
7. Even the possibility that Gumnami Baba was an absconding murderer, K.D. Upadhyay by name, who remained in hiding thus to avoid arrest.
So, these are the reasons that irritate, nay, infuriate these protesting family members who feel not only indignant about this entire issue but have threatened action against the Ghosh-Dhar combine for their 'damaging' book as also Mukherjee for the 'denegrating' content of his film.
But the film is yet to release and prejudging it will be imprudent and unwise. Meanwhile, the storm clouds gather as fury mounts.
The mystery deepens.
Written by Sugata Bose
Photo : Justice Manoj Kumar Mukherjee whose Commission Report is admittedly the source material for the film 'Gumnami'.
With the impending release of the film 'Gumnami' in October, public expectancy is fever-pitch even as acrimonious debates rage over the ethical justification of connecting Netaji with the reclusive ascetic of Faizabad. While quite a significant section of the extended family of Netaji Bose are up in arms, so to say, against the director, Srijit Mukherjee, and his film, and would spare no means to prevent the release of the film, the director seems to have pulled off a fast on them by managing to escape retribution under the cover of the Mukherjee Commission Report from where he has reportedly drawn all his cinematic material. Distancing himself, thus, from the book, 'Conundrum' by Chandrachur Ghosh and Anuj Dhar as being his source material which the authors had earlier claimed it was, Mukherjee seems to have won the first round of this bout that promises to throw up more hooks and cuts in the days to come post-release.
The irritation of a particular section of the Bose family is conceivable on many counts and they are as follows :
1. The association of Gumnami (Baba) with Netaji denigrates the stature of the patriot premier who in their minds could never have lived incognito as a reclusive monk in hiding which apparently was so opposed to the fundamental tenor of Netaji's character.
2. Gumnami Baba aka Bhagavanji rejected (a) The Great Escape Story of Dr. Sisir Bose -- this would terribly irritate NRB ;
(b) The Marriage in Secret Story of Netaji --- this would ruffle the feathers of those family members who subscribe to the marriage narrative.
3. Gumnami Baba's fantastic exploits overseas in violation of rational limits of human performance which are simply unacceptable to their rational minds. For instance, his participation in the Vietnam War, the Bangladesh War, the Indo-Pak Tashkent Summit, the US-Vietnam Paris Peace Conference etc.
4. The fact that Gumnami Baba rejected his blood relations which Netaji would never have done given his closeness to his kith and kin.
5. The Mukherjee Commission Report did not accept Gumnami Baba as Netaji in the absence of 'clinching evidence'.
6. The Sahay Commission was inconclusive about the identity of Gumnami Baba.
7. Even the possibility that Gumnami Baba was an absconding murderer, K.D. Upadhyay by name, who remained in hiding thus to avoid arrest.
So, these are the reasons that irritate, nay, infuriate these protesting family members who feel not only indignant about this entire issue but have threatened action against the Ghosh-Dhar combine for their 'damaging' book as also Mukherjee for the 'denegrating' content of his film.
But the film is yet to release and prejudging it will be imprudent and unwise. Meanwhile, the storm clouds gather as fury mounts.
The mystery deepens.
Written by Sugata Bose
Photo : Justice Manoj Kumar Mukherjee whose Commission Report is admittedly the source material for the film 'Gumnami'.
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