Bollywood back in Darjeeling

Saturday , June 11 , 2011


Darjeeling, June 10: Bollywood is back in Darjeeling.

While it may take some time for the fruits of the agreement — on a new administrative set-up for the hills between the Gorkha Jamukti Morcha and the state government — to concretise, the deal has brought peace and with it, Bollywood. Anurag Basu will explore the life of a Darjeeling boy played by Ranbir Kapoor in Barfee, the shooting for which will begin on June 14.

Former Miss World Priyanka Chopra and Telugu actress Ileana D’Cruz, who will be making her Bollywood debut, will be starring opposite Kapoor in the movie.

The last Hindi commercial film to be shot here was Shah Rukh Khan’s Main Hoon Na in 2003.

“The movie is based in Darjeeling and it is about a boy from here. The shooting will be held till June-end and will again commence from the last week of August to mid-September. This is because we are not sure about the monsoon and while Ranbir is expected to be present throughout the shooting period, Priyanka and Illeana will come as and when they are needed,” said Uday Mani Pradhan, production co-ordinator for the movie.

Basu, known for films like Life in a Metro, will be intertwining all aspects of the hill town in Barfee. “Darjeeling will be extensively shot in the film,” he said.

From the lane and the by-lane to the panoramic views of the hills and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), everything will be captured in frame,” said Pradhan. In fact, the permission for shooting in the DHR reached the team only yesterday.

The director, whose recent films includes the Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites and Murder, will be shot at Chowrasta, Birch Hill Road, Mayanpuri, Ghoom station, Happy Valley tea garden with the town in its background and at the Capitol Clock Tower and the Hall.

“In fact, Darjeeling will be taken to its days in the 1960s and 70s (considered by many as the golden days of Darjeeling). We are converting the Capitol Hall into a cinema hall as it used to be in those days,” said Pradhan who is busy collecting old movie posters.

The movie is expected to showcase Darjeeling like “never before” and shooting is even scheduled in Mirik, 10km from the hill town. “The director visited Darjeeling thrice and was overwhelmed with its beauty. In fact, when he came here, things had not yet settled down but he never felt that shootings could not take place. He was of the opinion that things were much calmer than what was being projected to the outside world,” said Pradhan.

No that no films were shot after Main Hoon Na. In 2009, a Hollywood film Way Back, starring Ed Harris, had used a tea garden near Darjeeling as a location but the hills do not feature by name in the film, going by a faceless “someplace in India”.

“Darjeeling was projected very badly during the past three years. Even during the strife period we shot seven Bengali films without problem. Places like Kaffer and Lava along with Bijanbari has so much potential and Basu believes that Darjeeling could be the next big things in the industry,” said Pradhan.

In the past three years, Pradhan co-ordinated the shooting of four Anjan Dutt films — Sei Gorkha Chelata, Rono and Vicky, Nine Miles and Darjeeling Darjeeling. “Kaushik Ganguly also shot Laptop, Rang Milante and The Promotion during this period,” said Pradhan.

The people of Darjeeling have another reason to be proud. Suravi Pradhan, a local girl who recently completed a course in film direction from Sussex University, will be part of the Barfee team. She was also part of the directorial team in Dutta’s Chowrastha: Crossroads Of Love.

Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110611/jsp/northeast/story_14097695.jsp

GJM opponents doubt truce talk

TNN Jun 9, 2011, 08.54am IST

KOLKATA: While both chief minister Mamata Banerjee and leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) are happy at finally reaching a solution to the Darjeeling problem, the other political parties were caught fuming. They called the "understanding" between the state government and the GJM a sham and betrayal. So while the GJM is trying to arouse public sentiment in favour of the agreement that it has reached, these political parties feel that this is just a lull before the storm.

Bharati Tamang, who is now the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) after the murder of her husband Madan Tamang on May 21, 2010, felt that since the GJM has won the assembly polls with people's mandate, the latter should now squarely ask questions. Tamang was killed just below the Planters' Club in full public view, allegedly by GJM supporters. Madan was a moderate leader of the Gorkhaland movement and was opposed to all excesses.

Since the late 1980s, he became a strong critic of Subhas Ghisingh though he had started out as an ally.

"Why are you asking me these questions? It is the GJM that has won with people's mandate. They have made promises to win the election. Now it is for them to live up to promises," Bharati said sarcastically. She added that the ABGL would never compromise on its demand for Gorkhaland. "However, more than anything else, peace should return to the Hills soon. The people of Darjeeling cannot live a life full of political uncertainties," she added.

The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) had, under Subhas Ghisingh's leadership, negotiated the Darjeeling accord in the 80s for formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) -- an arrangement to run the Hills on its own, though under the umbrella of the state government. One found GNLF workers smirking, even as Ghisingh is presently cooling his heels at Jalpaiguri. "Tuesday's truce clearly proves that there is no other solution to the problem than what we had worked out in the 80s. We are yet to see the new agreement between the GJM and the state government. Once we do so, we will be in a better position to condemn the stand of the GJM," said GNLF's Palden Dorjee Lama.

The GNLF had entered into a tripartite agreement with the state government and the Centre on December 6, 2005. "Unfortunately, the CPM led state government did not honour that pact. We are sure that the present agreement is based on the pact that we had drawn up," Dorjee said.

The GNLF accused the GJM of hoodwinking the people of Darjeeling on the issue of Gorkhaland. "That was their only slogan for the election. People trusted them and voted the GJM only because they thought that the party would help eke out Gorkhaland for them. Now, the GJM is singing a different tune. A board will be formed to look into the burning issue of the hills. If the chairman of this board is from the government side, naturally you have played into the hands of the government!" an angry Dorjee said.

The CPRM also sounded upset and said that the mandate has been misused by the GJM in signing an agreement that was not borne out by the Constitution. "The people of Darjeeling should now rise and demand Gorkhaland instead of meekly accepting what the GJM doles out for them," said Tara Rai, general secretary of CPRM. He added that because it could not identify with the political issues at play before the elections, the CPRM stayed away from the polls this time.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-09/kolkata/29638092_1_gorkhaland-gjm-supporters-gorkha-janmukti-morcha