Soukarya Ghosal
Soukarya Ghosal সৌকর্য ঘোষাল | |
|---|---|
 Soukarya Ghosal at IFFI 2024, Goa | |
| Born | 7 June 1986 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | University of Calcutta (BA) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2014 - |
| Known for | Rainbow Jelly |
| Spouse | Pooja Chatterjee |
Soukarya Ghosal (Bengali: সৌকর্য ঘোষাল; born 7 June 1986) is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, illustrator and music composer. He is widely considered for his work in Rainbow Jelly, a food fantasy film for the children in Bengali Cinema.[1] His film Bhootpori starring Jaya Ahsan, was an official selection for Indian Panorama at International Film Festival of India,[2] Goa which also received the Best Screenplay award at 14 Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival in 2024.[3][4]
His first feature film Pendulum bagged three awards in the 4th Radio Mirchi Music Awards Bangla in 2014. Ghosal made His second film Load Shedding in 2015[5] which he wrote and directed for Zee Bangla Cinema Originals, was a teenage love story set in the 90's.
His film Rainbow Jelly, a food fantasy film about an autistic orphan received Hiralal Sen Award[6] and Rituparno Ghosh[7] Memorial Award for Most Promising Director from West Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. His upcoming films are OCD and Kalantar.[8]
Early life
[edit]Ghosal was born and brought up in Kolkata. He attended A. K. Ghosh Memorial School and Jodhpur Park Boys School, and graduated in History from Asutosh College. He did a postgraduate course in Media Studies from University of Calcutta. His admiration for Satyajit Ray's illustrations in Sandesh magazine was a guiding force in his desire to become a professional illustrator.
Career
[edit]In 2011, he joined Robbar the Sunday magazine of Sangbad Pratidin as a staff cartoonist and Illustrator. While working on comic series such as Tenida in Sandesh[9] and Tenali Rama in Kishore Bharati, he felt a strong urge for sound and motion in his art. This led him to quit his job and pursue films. Coming directly from the field of art, Ghosal made his first film, Pendulum based on a surrealist painter who could physically take people into the space he drew. It took him a year to find a producer for the film.
2014–2015
[edit]On 7 March 2014, his debut film Pendulum, based on magic realism & time travel[10] was released in West Bengal. This hyperlink film[11] featured Radhika Apte, Rajesh Sharma, Sreelekha Mitra, Rajatabha Dutta, Subhasish Mukherjee, Shantilal Mukherjee, Samadarshi Dutta and Anindiya Banerjee, and was produced by Cozum Analytics Ltd.
In 2015, he made his second film, Load Shedding, for television. A teenage love story set in the 90s, it starred Riddhi Sen, Meghla Dasgupta,[12] Bidipta Chakraborty, Saili Bhattacharya and Joydeep Kundu, and was produced by Nideas Creations.
2016–2018
[edit]In 2016, he adapted the story of Taranath Tantrik by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay to rewrite for a television series for Colors Bangla. That year, he worked as the second unit director in Srijit Mukherji's Zulfiqar,[13] produced by Shree Venkatesh Films.
Inspired by the literary world of Leela Majumdar[14] in 2017, his film production company Indigenous produced Rainbow Jelly, a food fantasy[15] in Bengali starring Mahabrata Basu, Anumegha Banerjee, Kaushik Sen, Sreelekha Mitra, Shantilal Mukherjee etc.. The film was based on an autistic orphan child who could control the human mind by cooking food with several tastes. The film depicted the gradual changes in the villain's mind and his seven different reactions[16] as he encountered different kinds of tastes: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, pungent, astringent and bitter.[17] Rainbow Jelly film got released in West Bengal on 25 May 2018 & got premiered in London[18] & Bahrain.[19] The film received Hiralal Sen award for best Bengali film of 2018 from FFSI (Federation of Film Societies of India).[20] Ghosal received the Most Promising Director Award from West Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards,[21] for Rainbow Jelly.
In November 2018 Ghosal made emotional thriller[22] Rawkto Rawhoshyo produced by Surinder Films starred Koel Mallick, Lily Chakravarty, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Rwitobroto Mukherjee, Shantilal Mukherjee, Basabdatta Chatterjee etc.
2019–present
[edit]In August 2019 he made his fifth feature film Bhootpori a horror fantasy. This is a biography of a ghost who came into existence after the death of a Bengali widow in the eve of the Independence Day of India. The film starred Jaya Ahsan, Ritwick Chakraborty, Sudipta Chakraborty, Shantilal Mukherjee, Bishantak Mukherjee etc.[23][24][25][26]
Rawkto Rawhoshyo was released in theatres on 21 October 2020 during Durga Puja.[27] The film was initially scheduled to release on 10 April 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[28] Bhootpori was released on 9 February 2024[29] in West Bengal and was screened at the International Film Festival of India, Goa on 25 November 2024.[30]
Filmography
[edit]Films
[edit]| † | Denotes Upcoming films |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Story | Producer | Lyricist | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Pendulum | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2015 | Load Shedding | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2018 | Rainbow Jelly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Hiralal Sen Award for Best Bengali film WBFJA Awards for Most Promising Director (HBFF) award for Best Film (Jury) (HBFF) award for Best Screenplay (Jury) (HBFF) award for Best Film (Viewers' Choice) Nominated - WBFJA Awards for Best Film Nominated - Film Critics Guild Award for Best Bengali Film |
| 2020 | Rawkto Rawhoshyo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2024 | Bhootpori | Yes | Yes | Yes | Best Screenplay award at 14 Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival in 2024.[31][32]
Official selection for Indian Panorama at International Film Festival of India[33] | |||
| OCD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [34] | |||
| Kalantar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [35] | |||
| Pokkhirajer Dim | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyderabad Bengali Film Festival | Best Film (Jury Awards) | Rainbow Jelly | Won | 2018 |
| Best Screenplay (Jury Award) | Soukarya Ghosal | Won | 2018 | |
| Best Film (Viewers' Choice Award) | Rainbow Jelly | Won | 2018 | |
| Hiralal Sen Award | Best Bengali film of the year | Rainbow Jelly | Won | 2019 |
| WBFJA Awards | Most Promising Director | Soukarya Ghosal | Won | 2019 |
| Best Film | Soukarya Ghosal | Nominated | 2019 | |
| Film Critics Guild Award | Best Film (Bengali) | Rainbow Jelly | Nominated | 2019 |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Bhootpori | Won | 2024 |
References
[edit]- ^ "দেওয়াল ঘড়ির পিছল সুরে". Anandabazar Patrika.
- ^ "3 Bengali films picked for IFFI's non- mainstream Indian Panorama". The Times of India.
- ^ "Bengali horror comedy film starring Jaya Ahsan receives prestigious award". The Times of India.
- ^ "Bhootpori is a strong reminder of what a Bengali film is capable of when it's original". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Teenage Love Story in Kolkata's Power-Cut Days: Soukarya Ghosal's "Loadshedding" Bangla Movie on Zee Original Cinema". Washington Bangla. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Soukarya's Rainbow Jelly wins big". The Times of India.
- ^ "Here's all you need to know about the winners of the 2019 WBFJA Awards". The Times of India.
- ^ "Bengali director Soukarya Ghosal starts shooting Bhoot Pori with Jaya Ahsan". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "We have dedicated the film to Leela Majumdar". The Statesman.
- ^ "Bengali Film Review: Pendulum". IMDb.
- ^ "The industry is as much about Pendulum as it is about Chander Pahar, says Srijit Mukherji in a chat with debutant Soukarya Ghosal and t2". The Telegraph (Calcutta).
- ^ "চতুর্থ প্রজন্ম এবার অভিনয়ে". Ei Samay.
- ^ "My wife and I left the city after Pendulum's box-office failure: Soukarya Ghosal". The Times of India.
- ^ "Wanted to tell a story that carries essence of eastern culture: Soukarya Ghosal". Cinestaan.
- ^ "Adventures of a Little Prince". The Indian Express.
- ^ "দর্শকের পাতে সাতরঙা জেলি". Ei Samay.
- ^ "Rainbow Jelly: A Modern Day Magical Tale Around Food".
- ^ "London Cinemas Showing Rainbow Jelly". londonnet.co.uk.
- ^ "Rainbow Jelly in Bahrain Summer Festival". The Times of India.
- ^ "2019 Hiralal Sen Award: The 10 Bengali films which competed for the Best Bengali Film award". The Times of India.
- ^ "রেনবোজেলি 2 হলে মহাব্রত আবার ঘোতন হবে: সৌকর্য ঘোষাল". NDTV.
- ^ "সৌকর্য-কোয়েলের থ্রিলারে আবেগের ছোঁয়া". Anandabazar Patrika.
- ^ "Soukarya ropes in Jaya, Ritwick and Sudiptaa for his next 'Bhoot Pori'". The Times of India.
- ^ "Soukarya Ghoshal's Bhootpori is a heartwarming blend of fantasy and comedy". The Telegraph.
- ^ "এ ভূতের জন্য মনকেমন করে". Anandabazar Patrika.
- ^ "পঁচাত্তর দিন পেরিয়ে জয়ার 'ভূতপরী'". Prothom Alo.
- ^ "'Rawkto Rawhoshyo' chronicles the journey of a mother: Soukarya Ghosal". The Times of India.
- ^ "Soukarya's thriller Release of 'Rawkto Rawhoshyo' postponed - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ "Bhootpori is a strong reminder of what a Bengali film is capable of when it's original". The Telegraph.
- ^ "IFFI 2024 Bhootpori review Jaya Ahsan makes for a sparkling ghost in Soukarya Ghosal's fairy tale". Moneycontrol.
- ^ "Aamar Boss, Bhootpori, and Onko Ki Kothin to be screened at". The Times of India.
- ^ "Bengali director Soukarya Ghosal starts shooting Bhoot Pori with Jaya Ahsan". Indulge Express.
- ^ "Bhootpori' is more than a horror tale". Press Information Bureau.
- ^ "Soukarya Ghoshal's next is a story of obsessive compulsive disorder". The Times of India.
- ^ "যাঁরা রয়ে গিয়েছেন অন্তরালে". Anandabazar Patrika.