Aparna Sen’s ‘Her Indian Summer’ Starts Indo-U.K. Co-Production (Exclusive)

Veteran Indian director and actor Aparna Sen’s new project “Her Indian Summer” is set to be developed as an Indo-U.K. co-production. This announcement came during a recent retrospective of Sen’s work held in London.

The film is a mixed-race love story set against the backdrop of the 1947 partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan. It is being produced by Kolkata-based Indian producer-director Aritra Sen and Los Angeles-based British writer-director Alex Harvey’s Big Bazaar Films.

Sen initially gained recognition as an actor with the “Samapti” segment in Satyajit Ray’s “Three Daughters” (1961). Over the years, she acted in several other films by Ray and also worked with Indian cinema greats Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, and Rituparno Ghosh. Her acting credits also include Merchant-Ivory films “The Guru” (1969) and “Bombay Talkie” (1970).

Sen’s directorial debut, “36 Chowringhee Lane” (1981), won her the best director award at India’s National Film Awards. Since then, she has directed several acclaimed films, including “Paroma” (1984), “Sati” (1989), “Paromitar Ek Din” (2000), and “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” (2002). Her 2013 film “Goynar Baksho” and her recent project, “The Rapist,” which won the Kim Jiseok prize at Busan in 2021, have also been widely appreciated. Earlier this year, she was the subject of Suman Ghosh’s documentary “Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen,” which had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

“I am really excited about my story ‘Her Indian Summer,’ which I see as an Indo-U.K. co-production with major British and Indian actors. I am delighted that Alex Harvey and Aritra Sen of Big Bazaar Films are taking this project forward and hope to start filming soon,” Aparna Sen said.

Aritra Sen expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration as well. “We’re delighted to be working with Aparna on an original story, which will be an English-language film just like her first,” he said. Big Bazaar Films is also producing “Forest of Humans,” a documentary about Satyajit Ray and Kolkata, featuring Aparna Sen and directed by Harvey.

Harvey discussed Sen’s connection with Ray, stating, “Aparna appeared in four of Satyajit Ray’s films and also developed a lasting friendship with the great filmmaker, who acted as a mentor at the start of her own directorial career.” He added that the company’s upcoming release, “Prantik” (The Talisman), draws inspiration from Ray’s classics “Pratidwandi” and “Jana Aranya.”

The retrospective honoring Sen’s career, organized by the Bengal Heritage Foundation in collaboration with Big Bazaar Films, was held at the Nehru Centre and Cine Lumiere. The two-day event featured screenings of Sen’s films “The Japanese Wife,” “Paromitar Ek Din,” and a restored print of “36 Chowringhee Lane.” The restoration was spearheaded by producer Shashi Kapoor’s son, actor and producer Kunal Kapoor. The screening was introduced by his other son, photographer and actor Karan Kapoor.

Reflecting on the event, Aparna Sen said, “The most rewarding part for me was the screening of my debut film ’36 Chowringhee Lane,’ beautifully and lovingly restored by Kunal Kapoor. The new print brought out all the rich textures of the original and did credit to Ashok Mehta’s superb photography.”

Source: Variety