Musician-actor-filmmaker Anjan Dutt, after a long break of 14 years received another National Film Award. Anjan, won the Best Bengali Film Award for Chaalchitra Ekhon, released in 2024, which is his tribute to the great auteur, Mrinal Sen.
In 2012, at the 59th National Film Awards, Anjan won two awards for his film Ranjana Ami Ar ashbona, Special Jury and the Best Bengali Feature Film Awards.
Anjan, who celebrated the centenary of the revolutionary filmmaker Mrinal Sen through this film, has not only directed and produced, along with his son Neel Dutt, but also played a character inspired by Mrinal. Making the latter's iconic movie Chalchitra and Anjan's own debut in the industry as the basis for the movie, Anjan brings together a Mrinal and a younger Anjan Dutt, played by Sawon Chakraborty, on screen once again. Set in the 1980s the film traverses the life and times of the director in an era gone by specifically into the genesis of his movie Chalchitra.
In an interview with Anjan before the release of the film, he said that Mrinal Sen's tribute film was long overdue. "We shared a four-decade-long relationship. Apart from being his actor, I was his assistant, writer, line producer, and family almost. This was an aspect which never reflected in any of my works because it was very personal. But also, most of my works are a reflection of my personality. Yet this part was not shared.
"Long time ago I wanted to make a documentary on him and he told me to make something personal. I couldn’t find a story then. Later, I did not want to shoot an ailing man. But perhaps the centenary was coming, and I felt the need to pay my dues and find my story. It took me time to look at our relationship objectively and honestly to make something personal," he added.
Musician Neel Dutt, Anjan's son, who is also the producer for Chaalchitra Ekhon, speaks exclusively with Indulge. He says: "Chalchitra Ekhon is my first film as a producer, so there is naturally a sense of pride and validation. But what makes it even more special is that it was an entirely independent production. Independent films are often made with limited resources, without the backing of large studios or elaborate marketing campaigns. They survive on conviction, collaboration, and the belief that a story deserves to be told. For a film like this to receive the National Award is a reminder that sincerity and artistic integrity still matter, and that meaningful cinema can find recognition even without the machinery of commercial filmmaking behind it."
Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona was Neel's first National Award win. Looking back at the same he shares: "The difference of this win from Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona is quite profound. With Ranjana, I was the music composer, and winning the National Award for Best Music Direction was an immensely fulfilling creative milestone. It was recognition for one aspect of filmmaking—something I had poured my heart into as a composer.
"But Chaalchitra Ekhon feels different because, as a co-producer, I was involved in helping bring the entire film into existence. You’re invested not only in the creative process but also in the countless practical decisions, the risks, the responsibilities, and the collective journey of the entire team. This award isn’t just about one department; it celebrates the film as a whole. That makes it a very different kind of satisfaction—one that’s shared with everyone who believed in the project from the very beginning,' he concludes.
Quite interestingly, Chaalchitra Ekhon is one of the very few films to have released at the theatres and on the OTT platform of hoichoi, at the same time.
However, the National Film Award is not the first award for the film. Even before its theatrical release, the movie has done the rounds of Film Festivals and has been graced with the Special Jury Award at the Kolkata International Film Festival for Innovation in Moving Images and the Best Actor award for Anjan Dutt at the Dhaka International Film Festival.
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