‘Chena Kintu Ajana – Known Strangers’: A synopsis.
The history of jatra, a popular folk theatre form of Eastern India, dates back to nearly 400 years being one of the oldest performing arts of India. One of the most vibrant chapters in the history of this art form is that of female impersonators. For decades, female impersonators held centre stage across suburban and even urban Bengal when the idea of woman playing themselves on stage, was not accepted by society. ‘Chena Kintu Ajana – Known Strangers’ captures the lives and times of 15 female impersonators representing the last generation of such actors in jatra. The history of female impersonation in the art form has also been weaved in through reference to Chaitanya (15th century) and Gopal Ure (19th century). The 96 minutes film tries to showcase the acting nuances of each Rani (as impersonators were popularly referred to), reasons why they took up acting in female characters as a profession, characters portrayed by them and its significance, the popularity they enjoyed among the masses, changes in their fortune once women started appearing on stage and also their life off stage marked by extreme financial hardship and mental turmoil.
The film includes performances by the two surviving Ranis and also a new age impersonator. Six songs have also been included to give viewers a feel of the time. The content of the film also includes interviews of surviving Ranis, family members of actors who are no longer among us, jatra experts and jatra company owners.
Profiles of director and writers:
Dipankar Dutta Director, Chena Kintu Ajana
Dipankar started his career in a film production house as an assistant cinematographer and was later took on the responsibility of a cinematographer. For s brief stint he also freelanced as a cinematographer and editor.
Dipankar also spent more than a decade with a reputed advertising agency working in their audio visual as well as creative department.
He subsequently setup his own advertising agency D3 and over the last five years have worked for reputed corporate brands strategizing and executing effective campaigns.
Chena Kintu Ajana is Dipankar’s first directorial venture in Bengali documentary.
Debojit Majumder Researcher and Producer, Chena Kintu Ajana
Debojit has been in the communication profession for nearly a decade. Though an MBA in HR, he has never been a practicing HR professional because of his penchant for communication.
Debojit started his career in a public relations agency and spent almost five years working with reputed agencies servicing a gamut of clients belonging to different industries. It is while working on such assignments that he learnt how to plan effective media and public relation campaigns.
He has also worked in the corporate communication team of a reputed multinational corporation in the manufacturing industry. This exposure helped him develop his media network across Eastern India.
Chena Kintu Ajana is Debojit’s first documentary venture as a researcher, script writer and producer.
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