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Srijit marks his birthday with a Netaji statue trail

Accompanying the Gumnaami director was Prosenjit Chatterjee, who plays Bose in the upcoming Puja release

Birthdays, for some, are not just about cutting cakes. For those like director Srijit Mukherji, they go beyond just being occasions for personal celebrations. On September 23, Srijit decided to do something unique to mark his 42nd birthday. It was about trying out something he had never done on any birthday before. After the customary cake-cutting ceremony, the idea was to go on a tour of the Netaji statues in the city along with his Gumnaami hero — Prosenjit Chatterjee.

History has always been a favourite subject for Srijit. Ask him why he chose to go on such a tour and he says, “Going across the city rekindles many memories from my childhood. So, I thought it will be a good way to spend the birthday. And who else to determine the trail but the true liberator of my nation, our eternal hero, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose!”

The first stop was Netaji Nagar — a bustling residential area. For Srijit, the name of the locality holds as much of a significance as the statue. For the local residents, the presence of Prosenjit and Srijit on a Monday morning came as a pleasant surprise. “This half-bust statue is located at one of the busiest intersections of the city. This statue is the closest to my residence. I think, it is unique that an entire locality is named after Netaji,” the director said.

The next stop for the duo was Netaji Bhawan on Elgin Road. Accompanying them on this tour was GM Kapur — the governing council member and convenor of the West Bengal chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

‘Dilli Chalo’ is an inspirational and tragic call, says Srijit

“Netaji used to live in this house. It is from here that he had escaped from house arrest in 1941 and made his great escape. The Wanderer car in which he went from Kolkata to Gomoh is still there. A lot of his possessions are still here. This is a hallowed portal of anything concerning Netaji,” GM Kapur said, while sipping a cup of tea. In between the conversation, Srijit added that this particular statue is significant for “sentimental reasons”.

MAIDAN

The drive from Elgin Road to Maidan was quick. The morning walkers had left by then and the lovebirds who regularly come to the Victorial Memorial and the adjoining areas of Maidan hadn’t yet arrived. That gave Prosenjit a breather to stand for a while and discuss the historical importance of the statue. Incidentally, this pose of the Netaji statue has often been discussed in the public domain. According to GM Kapur, “This statue was unveiled in the early ’70s or late ’60s. The famous ‘Dilli Chalo’ pose been very nicely sculpted. However, there has been a bit of a controversy regarding this pose since both the right leg and arm are outstretched. People say that both the right arm and the leg can’t be outstretched when someone is marching. But apart from that, this is a very inspiring statue.”

For Srijit, the ‘Dilli chalo’ call is inspirational. “Netaji had expected everyone to answer to his call to free the country. However, things didn’t happen the way he had expected. In that sense, I find the ‘Dilli chalo’ call to be both inspiring and tragic,” the director added.

SHYAMBAZAR FIVE-POINT CROSSING

The drive from Maidan to the Shyambazar five-point crossing meant negotiating crazy traffic. Thankfully, the crowd was decent and the duo could stand at the crossroad briefly as the traffic whizzed by. “This statue is perhaps the most important landmark of the city. Sculpted by Nagesh Yoglekar, it was unveiled by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in 1969. It is one of the finest statues of Netaji on a horse. It is possible that the horse’s pose was inspired by Sir James Outram statue which was in the Maidan during the British days. There was again a comment by some people that the horse looks a bit plump,” said GM Kapur.

It is the “heroism” in the pose of this statue that had always attracted Srijit when he was a child. “I am aware of the controversy surrounding the pose of this statue. It is true that Netaji never went to war riding a horse. However, this statue has always held a lot of significance for me. My grandfather’s house was in Kashipur. I would regularly cross this stretch and look at this statue in wonder. My first pencil sketch as a four or five-year-old was of this Netaji statue,” Srijit informed.

WELLINGTON SQUARE

While the Shyambazar statue has been familiar, Srijit had never been inside the Wellington Square to see this statue up, close and personal. Unveiled on March 4, 1984, this statue stands on the same square (Raja Subodh Mullick Square) where Netaji had resigned as the Congress president at the AICC meeting that was held on April 29, 1939. “It is my first visit here. In fact, my film also has a sequence to show the moment when Netaji had signed as the Congress president,” Srijit said.

NETAJI SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The final stop was the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. As the car drove down the flyover, one could see the towering statue of Netaji. When the car slowed down a bit, Prosenjit decided to freeze the moment for the birthday boy. As the star went behind the camera, Srijit said: “In our film, there is an interesting dialogue that refers to this statue. I wanted to end the tour in front of this statue. In many ways, this place is very significant in the context of Netaji. The airport is named after him. The first statue that anyone sees after landing in Kolkata is that of Netaji. I feel, that is a fitting tribute to a hero.”