A ‘minor’ issue

Mithun Chakraborty on Kolkata Film Festival snub Kolkata 

Padma Bhushan recipient and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty revealed that he was not invited to the film festival in Kolkata, despite attending a meeting on celebrations marking the birth centenary of Bengali cinema icon Uttam Kumar.

“I wasn’t invited to the Film Festival,” Chakraborty said while speaking to the media. He contrasted the reported snub with an upcoming visit to Moscow, saying, “I am going to Moscow now; perhaps they will invite me.

They are inviting me to the Moscow Film Festival... Yet, here in Bengal, I wasn’t invited.” The Disco Dancer actor also suggested that he may have been sidelined as a “minor artist” as he has done a few roles in Bengali cinema, while pointing to the frequent invitations extended to figures who do not have a direct connection with Bengal.

The remarks came against the backdrop of preparations for a year-long programme to mark the centenary of Uttam Kumar, widely revered as the “Mahanayak” of Bengali cinema.