Arindam Sil to direct documentary on Sikkim
The acclaimed director Arindam Sil’s last release was Mitin Mashi in Durga Puja 2019. Arindam Sil has been invited by the Government of Sikkim to film a special documentary on the mountain state
If you are a Bengali and you hear the words ‘Sikkim’ and ‘documentary’, you are bound to remember Satyajit Ray. The maestro of Bengali film-making had directed the celebratory documentary titled Sikkim, in 1971. That documentary was commissioned by the then King of Sikkim. Nearly five decades after Satyajit Ray’s film, another Bengali director has been approached to direct a documentary on the beautiful mountain state. Arindam Sil has been invited by the Government of Sikkim to make a documentary on the north-eastern state of India. And it all started with Arindam Sil’s last film Mitin Mashi!
“Mitin Mashi has been selected for screening at the Global Cinema Film Festival, which will be held in Sikkim at the end of this month. This festival will be organized jointly by the Government of Sikkim and the Film Federation of India. In this connection I met representatives from the Sikkim Government,” explains Arindam Sil. The invitation to film the documentary came soon after.
“Sikkim is one of my favourite places in India. It’s a beautiful state. And I love exploring various locales in my films. I agreed instantly,” says Arindam. He adds, “We will leave for Sikkim next week. I have to finish the project in seven days. It will be hectic, but the Government of Sikkim has rolled out the red carpet for us.”
Arindam Sil’s directorial team includes Sunita Radia, who has worked with acclaimed cinematographer and director Binod Pradhan. Sugato Guha has written the script and the film will be edited by Sanglap Bhowmik. The music director-filmmaker duo of Bickram Ghosh and Arindam Sil remains unbroken for this documentary. “The film will mainly be made with the aim of inviting investors to the mountain state. It will be screened at the Global Cinema Film Festival at the end of this month,” says Arindam.
As for the Satyajit Ray connect, the director smiles and says, “It may be a coincidence but it’s a very big thing for me, to be doing what Satyajit Ray had once done. He is my hero and my godfather.”
image source:-youtube/CamelliaFilms Production
