‘Putul Nacher Itikotha’ is one of the greatest Bengali literary works of all time. This year marks 90 years since the first publication of Manik Bandopadhyay’s landmark novel, and to celebrate this milestone, a film adaptation of the same name is being released in cinema halls across Kolkata.
Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, the film stars acclaimed actors Abir Chatterjee from Kolkata and Jaya Ahsan from Bangladesh in the lead roles.
Written before World War II, Putul Nacher Itikotha explores rural life in early 20th-century Bengal—its customs, superstitions, and attitudes towards women.
At the heart of the story is Kusum, a village woman full of vitality and mystery. Jaya Ahsan brings this layered role to life as the enigmatic Kusum, who mesmerizes the village doctor Shashi, played by Abir Chatterjee.
Can the sights, scents, and subtleties of life in rural Bengal from a century ago be authentically captured on screen today? Is the novel still relevant in the modern age? These were some of the questions posed to director Suman Mukhopadhyay at a special discussion held at Presidency University, Kolkata, to commemorate the film’s release.
Mukhopadhyay revealed that the screenplay had been written 15 years before filming began. However, he insists that the story remains timely and universal.
“Even though I’ve cast Jaya and Abir, every reader interprets Shashi and Kusum differently,” he said, adding, “A scene that might take up two pages in the book is something I’ve reinterpreted visually through my own imagination.”
While certain elements were omitted during the screenplay adaptation, the core themes of the novel remain intact. A one-minute trailer for the film features the line, “Shorir shorir shorir; tomar mon nei Kusum?” (“It’s always the body; don’t you have a heart, Kusum?”), which has sparked lively discussion on social media. The director noted that while the novel does not clarify who delivers this dialogue, the screenplay does.
Jaya Ahsan, who plays Kusum, addressed the dialogue, saying, “Women are so often portrayed solely as objects of desire. But Kusum owns her own desires. She doesn’t hide them.”
“Kusum is like an open book. Her body, mind, and soul are in harmony. That’s what sets her apart from Shashi. She challenges him. She’s a remarkably open-minded, vibrant character,” Jaya said during the discussion.
Jaya added that she herself could never truly become like Kusum.
“There’s a certain amount of self-consciousness in all of us, an invisible line we know we’re not supposed to cross. But Kusum remains unbothered by all this. That’s what keeps her still relevant to this day and age. Think of the Bauls of rural Bengal — their body, soul, and spirit are one. Whatever breaks, merges into the cosmos,” she reflected.
Before filming, Jaya read the novel several times. But once she received the screenplay, she chose not to revisit the book to stay focused on the cinematic adaptation.
As for Shashi, the character is complex. As a village doctor who believes in science and rationality, he is also riddled with self-doubt and internal conflict—nuances that made actor Abir Chatterjee hesitant at first.
“There’s a kind of indecisiveness that’s common among Bengalis, and Shashi has it too. This made the role both daunting and intriguing,” the actor explained.
Jaya and Abir last shared the screen in ‘Bishorjan’, directed by Kaushik Ganguly.
In Putul Nacher Itikotha, Jaya once again dons traditional handwoven saris with red borders and light smudges of vermilion on her forehead—visuals reminiscent of their previous collaboration, now repurposed for a different era and character.
This adaptation seeks not only to revisit a literary classic but to reimagine it for a new generation—one that may find unexpected resonance in a story written nearly a century ago.
