Kolkata woke up to a gloomy, rain-soaked Friday morning. Few could have anticipated that the overcast weather would mirror the cloud hanging over Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee on the release day of his latest Bengali film, ‘Abhhiman’. Directed by Indraadip Dasgupta, ‘Abhhiman’ is the first Bengali film to hit theatres after Prosenjit was conferred the Padma Shri. The musical drama also stars Subhashree Ganguly and Jisshu Sengupta, who has co-produced the film alongside Saurav Das.
However, even as the film opened in theatres, it found itself at the centre of a controversy after National Award-winning filmmaker Suman Ghosh publicly accused Prosenjit of appropriating elements from a script he had been developing for over two years. On the day of the film’s release, Ghosh posted an open letter addressed to the veteran actor on social media, raising questions about ‘professional ethics and accountability’.
According to the ‘Puratawn’ maker, he had been discussing a script titled ‘Star’ with Prosenjit for nearly two-and-a-half years. He claimed that several elements visible in the teaser and trailer of ‘Abhhiman’ closely resemble the central characterisation and narrative components of his own project. The filmmaker said he had carefully developed the script and had envisioned Prosenjit in the lead role from the outset. He said the character was conceived in two distinct phases of life, one as a frail, ageing superstar and the other as a vibrant icon in his youth. He added that discussions had progressed significantly and as recently as December, it had been agreed that Prosenjit’s production house would produce the film.
“It is extremely unfortunate and painful that the teaser and trailer of your recently released film ‘Abhhimaan’ feature almost identical characterisation, scenes and elements,” Ghosh wrote.
While acknowledging the possibility of coincidence, Ghosh argued that Prosenjit was intimately familiar with the script and should have informed him if similar ideas were being explored elsewhere. “Did your conscience never tell you that I should at least be informed?” he asked, alleging that repeated attempts to contact the actor had been met with silence. The ‘Dwando’ filmmaker also questioned the actor’s professional conduct, noting that he had worked with several celebrated artists, including Soumitra Chatterjee, Mithun Chakraborty, Sharmila Tagore and Aparna Sen.
The ‘Nobel Chor’ director also clarified that Prosenjit had contacted him after receiving the email and that the two had a cordial conversation. “In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that Bumba da wanted to talk to me after receiving this email and we had a cordial exchange when he called me,” Ghosh wrote. “He tried to justify his act, which I vehemently argued against.”
Meanwhile, the producers of ‘Abhhiman’ mentioned in an official statement that the core idea of the film was conceived by Jisshu. At the same time, the screenplay and dialogues were independently developed and written by Srijato Bandopadhyay and the director. “The project has evolved through a well-documented creative process, with all requisite registrations, records and development materials in place through established industry and legal channels. While we respect the work and creative journeys of all filmmakers, we categorically affirm that ‘Abhhiman’ is an original work created independently by its writers and makers. We stand firmly by the authenticity of our script and the professional ethics of everyone associated with the film,” the producers mentioned.
Prosenjit Responds
Veteran actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, who plays a rockstar in ‘Abhhiman’, took to social media to clear the air. “I have the utmost respect for Suman as a filmmaker. In our industry, creative lines often cross because we are all drawing from universal human emotions and themes. However, ‘Abhhiman’ is a fully independent, legally registered project crafted by our director Indraadip Dasgupta and writer Srijato. As an actor, my job is to breathe life into the script handed to me. There was absolutely no intent to compromise anyone’s creative trust and I wish Suman nothing but the best,” wrote the Padma Shri awardee.