![[Neel B Mitra]](http://www.washingtonbanglaradio.com/../../images04/neel-b-mitra.jpg)
Washington,
DC, Oct 29, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio) Neel B Mitra is a Jadavpur
University alumnus, and gave up a very successful career in marketing in
Mumbai and returned to Kolkata to puruse an inner calling of writing.
Neel started writing while in Mumbai, Abasheshe being of the first three
stories. Although offers of writing for films in Mumbai itself had
started to come in, Neel wanted to write in Bengali - another reason for
returning to Kolkata.
Back in Kolkata, Neel started off as an
assistant director for a number of films and documentaries that were
critically acclaimed by audiences and across film festivals. Around this
time, Sekhar Das - the noted film-maker and director of BFJA
Award-winning "Mahulbanir Sereng" and National Award Winning Bengali
film "Krantikaal" (2005) - proposed that the impressive communication
skills of Neel be deployed for media relations and publicity, and
Krantikaal was Neel's first venture as a media coordinator. Today Neel
has worked as a media coordinator for over 150 films and is considered
one of the top media coordinators in Tollywood.
Neel met Aditi Roy
in 1995 when Aditi was studying film-making at Jadavpur University, and
wrote scripts for a few short films by Aditi. They decided to make a
feature film together, and Neel had Abasheshe waiting for such an
opportunity for years. Neel has always been more interested in the
challenge of being an original screen-play writer, and did not really
want to get into direction - a role which Aditi comfortably filled in.
Neel is a believer in strong pre-production, having made a number of "Making of" films including the one for The Japanese Wife where Neel was also the DOP. Neel told the producers Deb's Entertainment House headed by Anil B Dev that the film would be directed by Aditi and would take three months for wrapping up pre-production. The producer was looking to make a small-budget film with a quick turnaround - and Neel then proposed noted director Subrata Sen make the film "Nandini". Nandini (2011) will open in theaters on November 18, 2011. Neel is the executive producer of Nandini.
A still from Nandini feat. Dibyendu & Swastika
Nandini, like all Subrata Sen films so far, is an urban film with a city-centric story. A relationship-oriented film, Nandini is the story of a happily married but lonely woman whose husband is mostly travelling, and how she gets into a relationship with a fashion photographer. She spends a few exhilerating days with the fashion photographer, but the story is also about her realization that she really loves her husband and there are aspects of marriage that go beyond just love into realms of trust, respect and members of the family.
Listen to Neel chat with Arijit Chakraborty about Nandini and Abasheshe on WBRi on-demand audio broadcast service.
