Kolkata witnessed an emotional farewell on a rain-soaked Friday afternoon as admirers, relatives, and people from various walks of life gathered to bid their final goodbye to filmmaker Anik Dutta, who died on Wednesday after a fall from the terrace of his residence. The adman-turned-filmmaker's mortal remains were kept at NT 1 Studios and Nandan, the state film centre.
Funeral Procession and Tributes
The funeral procession started from Peace World and ended at NT 1 after a brief halt at Nandan. Colleagues, actors, and filmmakers from Tollywood paid their last respects to the 'Bhooter Bhobishyat' director at NT 1 between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm. Many noted the irony that Dutta's body was brought to Nandan, where his films had been denied entry after he questioned the presence of posters of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a film festival. His own portrait claimed the centre of the foyer on Friday.
Actor Sudipta Chakraborty called the setting an "irony." Actor and Left leader Debdut Ghosh, who featured in an early advertisement directed by Dutta, echoed the sentiment. "I welcome this move. It is nice to see that he got the respect at Nandan where his films were barred entry," he said.
Political and Industry Presence
Actor and BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh told TOI that it took him three sleepless nights to organise the Nandan send-off. "I spoke to our chief minister about this. He told me that everyone should be able to pay their respect to him. I personally spoke to his family and am glad we could finally make this happen," he explained. BJP State general secretary Locket Chatterjee, who worked with Dutta at the start of her career, viewed the gathering as a necessary shift in the cultural landscape. "This is the change we wanted. We have always wanted a healthy work environment. Anik-da's films never got screened at Nandan," she said.
The memorial across Nandan and NT 1 Studios brought together his childhood friends, technicians, and producers. The crowds at the studio blurred political lines, with Left leaders Anil Biswas and Satarup Ghosh standing near ministers and BJP MLAs like Agnimitra Paul, Roopa Ganguly, and Papiya Adhikari. Politicians spoke of tolerance, some lamenting that this inclusion arrived only in death. Industry peers gathered in silence, including Abir Chatterjee, Jeet, Srijit Mukherji, Haranath Chakraborty, Kamleshwar Mukherjee, Sudeshna Roy, Chaitali Dasgupta, Utsav Mukherjee, Aparajita Das, Bidipta Chakraborty, Chandan Sen, Sauraseni Maitra, Ekavali Khanna, Firdausul Hasan, and Joy B Ganguly. At the corner sat actor Jeetu Kamal, remembering the man who gave him his defining role in 'Aparajito'.
Final Rites and Musical Tribute
Before the journey to the Keoratala crematorium, political lines blurred again. Left supporter Ushashie Chakraborty and BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh stood beside Goutam Ghose, Lagnajita Chakraborty, Shamik Sinha, and Sudipa Chatterjee. Gathered at the hearse, their voices united to sing Tagore's 'Aguner Poroshmoni' and 'Purano Shei Diner Katha'. On the sidelines, mourners looked at the studio floor and recalled memories of a different day, remembering the shooting of a party scene at the exact space for his debut, 'Bhooter Bhobisyot'. Tears fell as a recording of Debabrata Biswas singing 'Achhe Dukhho Achhe Mrityu' played over the gathering. The hearse then wheeled away, carrying him to the Keoratala burning ghat where his daughter, Raai, performed the last rites.
