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‘It’s better to be a human rather than a baboon’: The message of Srijit Mukherji’s latest film ‘Uma’

The Bengali director is cranking out films faster than you can say ‘Tollywood’. His new film ‘Uma’ is packed with emotions, he says in an interview.

In his 12th film, Uma, Bengali director Srijit Mukherji puts a realistic spin to the creation myth of the goddess Durga. A young girl, Sara (Sara Sengupta), who lives in Austria, is diagnosed with a terminal disease. She has never seen a Durga Puja celebration in Kolkata. Her father, Himadri (Jisshu Sengupta), sets out to create a fake Durga Puja in Kolkata ahead of the scheduled date. “All the gods chipped in to arm Durga ahead of her fight with Mahishasura,” Mukherji said. “Similarly, different strangers in Kolkata come together to make the father’s dream come true.”

The ensemble cast of the scheduled June 1 release includes actor-filmmaker Anjan Dutt, who plays Brahmananda, a reluctant filmmaker who joins Himadri’s quest. “To take the metaphor further, I named these people who help Himadri after the gods who helped Durga,” Mukherji said. “So, Anjan Dutt, the director, is Brahmananda after Brahma, the creator. The art director helping the project is Biswarup Karmakar, named after the god Biswakarma [Hindu deity for artisans].”

Mukherji’s inspiration for Uma is Evan Leversage, a terminally ill Canadian boy who was treated to an early Christmas in October 2015. Leversage died in December.

“Leversage’s story ties to the Akaal Bodhan tradition of Durga Puja where Rama worshipped Durga at an uncustomary time to seek her blessings before fighting Ravana,” Mukherji said. “While Evan’s story was a medical emergency, Akaal Bodhan was a wartime emergency. The parallels helped me write Uma in three-four days flat.”

A surprising addition to Uma’s ensemble cast is Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Babul Supriyo in a villainous role. “Casting is like team selection in cricket and Babul is our mystery spinner,” was all Mukherji would reveal. “His hunger to act was immense and he turned out to be one of the most hardworking and committed actors I have ever worked with.” ….. Click here to read the full story