Subhash Ghai's 'new discovery' is my heroine from Porichoi - Prosenjeet Chatterjee

28 Jan 2013

Mishti who plays Subhash Ghai's new protagonist Kaanchi is actually Indrani Chakraborty... and she is not Ghai's discovery. Mishti, aka, Indrani has just completed a film with Bengali superstar Prosenjeet directed by Rupali Guha.

Both Prosenjeet and Rupali are baffled as to why the young aspirant is trying to write off her first film to appear as Subhash Ghai's discovery.

Says Prosenjeet, "She's talented pretty girl. We are playing father and daughter in Rupali's film Porichoi . Now I hear she's being launched by Mr. Subhash Ghai. How can she be launched by another filmmaker when she's already completed her first film with me?"Trying to play down the hurt, Prosenjeet says, "We all would have loved to see her being launched by Subhash Ghai. After all Mr. Ghai's banner is an all-India banner. The girl called me up when I was in Mumbai last week for the Stardust awards and she told me excitedly about her big opportunity with Mr. Ghai. I told her I was very happy for her. But she shouldn't deny her first film."

Elaborating on his film with Indrani /Mishti, Prosenjeet says, "It's a father-daughter subject, somewhat like the mother-son film Aandhiyaan that I had done as my Hindi debut with David Dhawan. In Aandhiyaan Mumtazji and I shared the same kind of parent-child relationship as I do with Indrani in Porichoi. The only difference is that I am the father now. But we're like friends. I play an NRI who left the country 14 years ago. His estranged daughter comes for a vacation with him and they re-discover their love for one another. It's a very sweet subject and Rupali Guha who is veteran director Basu Chatterjee's daughter, has done a wonderful job."

Porichoi was shot in Newcastle over a period of a month in December 2012.

Says Prosenjeet, "I had no qualms playing Indrani's father. If you look at our photographs together we look more like the lead pair than the father and daughter. Indrani may have her reasons for writing off her debut film because it's a regional film. But I'd give full credit to my producer and director for giving a newcomer such a big break. She should have been gracious enough to acknowledge our film as her debut. Maybe she doesn't think I am a big enough name."

Prosenjeet gently recalls Madhuri Dixit's big Hindi re-launch by Subhash Ghai. "Though Madhuri did Uttar Dakshin and Ram Lakhan with Mr. Ghai she never tried to hide her first Bengali film Abodh . I wonder if Mr. Ghai even knows about her beginnings. Believe me; we fought to get Indrani into Porichoi. We were advised not to take a new girl. But I refused to replace her. I knew how important it is for a newcomer to get the right break. She went through a lot of acting workshops before she was ready to face the camera. We weren't able to get a proper visa for her to shoot abroad. We had a troubled schedule abroad. But we stood by her. The least she could do is acknowledging the people who gave her a break."

Adds director Rupali Guha, "It is being claimed Indrani has no acting experience. That's not true. I have no clue why she's being projected as a newcomer. She was a newcomer in my film Porichoi . But after working with an institution like Prosenjeet Chatterjee, projecting oneself as a newcomer is just not done. I wonder which era we're living in!" Porichoi in Bangla is produced by Soumo Ganguly and directed by Rupali Guha. It releases in April, long before Subhash Ghai's Kaanchi .