Bengali actor Raima Sen to essay role of woman affected by 1946 Calcutta Killings in new film

Bengali actor Raima Sen will essay the role of a woman affected during the 1946 Calcutta Killings in a new film titled ‘Maa Kaali’.

The Calcutta Killings refers to the communal frenzy that gripped the city from August 16, 1946, dubbed as ‘Direct Action Day’, a year before India’s independence.

Thousands of lives were lost in communal violence over the next few days, and the riots spiralled into more disturbances across undivided India.

Directed by Vijay Yelakanti, the Bengali film features Raima Sen and Abhishek Singh in lead roles, and brings forth the plight of numerous families torn apart during the partition of the country.

The movie is yet to be released.

Governor CV Ananda Bose, whom Sen, Singh and Yelakanti called on at Raj Bhavan recently, said that he appreciated the movie as a “celluloid representation of the truth and significance of CAA”.

“Maa Kali, a movie depicting the CAA in a convincingly positive light, was screened in a concise form by the hero former IAS Officer @Abhishek_asitis, heroine @RaimaSen, producer @Vishwaprasad.tg and director @VijayYelakanti, before the Governor West Bengal Dr CV Ananda Bose,” the Raj Bhavan said in a post on X.

“The film recaptures the intensity of the atrocities of the ‘Direct Action Day-1946’. Governor appreciated the movie as a celluloid representation of the truth and significance of CAA,” it added.

Releasing the film’s poster on X, Sen, with hashtag CAA, posted, “Rewind to the roots of the Ghosh Family, 78 years back. Today, we unveil the poster that ignited a timeless tale. Join us on this journey! #MaaKaali.”

In another post about her role, the ‘Chokher Bali’ actor tweeted, “Have you seen Mrs Aparajita Ghosh? The heart of the Ghosh family, lost in the chaos of riots, last seen near Victoria College, Calcutta.”

The movie encapsulates how the fictional Ghosh family was shaken by the events.