Kolkata: TMC Ghatal MP Dev thanked Sonarpur Dakshin BJP MLA Roopa Ganguly for acknowledging his stand against ban culture, saying he is happy to see "BJP not doing the same mistakes that TMC once did. This is progressive and positive."
Dev's Statement on Casting and Ban Culture
Dev said he had cast Ganguly in ‘Raghu Dakat' when acting offers for her were scarce. He recalled facing similar trouble after casting Mithun Chakraborty in ‘Prajapati', which was not allowed to run at Nandan. "I announced another film with Mithun-da right after the day my film did not run at Nandan," he said. That casting triggered a public spat with TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. Dev said, "I publicly said that anyone who has reservations about Mithun-da's casting has to speak to me first since he is like my father in the industry. I will not listen to anyone who speaks ill about my father." He said a similar situation arose when he cast Ganguly and Sohini Sarkar in ‘Raghu Dakat'.
Directorial Debut and Industry Freedom
Dev added that earlier this year he announced the casting of Anirban Bhattacharya in his directorial debut. Filming would begin on June 1. "When the TMC was in power, I did everything for the good of the industry. Sometimes, I fought with my party and its members. I do not want BJP to make the same mistakes that my own party has done. I am glad to see that BJP is not repeating the same mistakes. It is progressive and positive," he said.
Welcoming Anti-Government Plays
He also welcomed Ganguly's decision to allow anti-govt plays to be staged. "This is a very good move. I have seen how we would get tainted if we spoke to people who were anti our party. I want an environment where people from all parties can interact without the fear of getting tainted," Dev said.
About the Author: Priyanka Dasgupta is the features editor of TOI Kolkata. She has over 20 years of experience in covering entertainment, art and culture. She describes herself as sensitive yet hard-hitting, objective yet passionate. Her hobbies include watching cinema, listening to music, travelling, archiving and gardening.
