KIFF has got international recognition because of Mamata: Shatrughan Sinha

Hindi film star and MP Shatrughan Sinha was conferred Banga Bibhushan Samman by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday. The Asansol MP was elated and at the same time “surprised on being conferred the honour. Words fail me and I get very emotional. I feel it is my home away from home, says the star.

Mr Sinha, who has been attending the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) for the last five years, felt the honour has further entrenched him as a part of Bengal’s cultural legacy. Only a handful of the cine actors have received the distinguished honour. “I feel proud of being showered with so much love and respect here. I cannot forget that I’m getting respect in the land of Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Netaji, Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak. Ritwik da was the vice-principal of FTII when I joined there. He was very fond of me,” said the Kaala Patthar star.

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Talking about his association with Mamata Banerjee, the ‘Bihari Babu’ said, “I was very touched by the gesture from Mamata Banerjee. Her affection towards me, and how her whole team makes me so comfortable, is really appreciable. They tell me ‘you are one of us’. I feel very proud of being showered with so much love and respect here.”

The former Union minister remembers the time when he started his career here. “I started my career here from a studio, the name of which I do not remember now. I was selected for Film and television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune by Mrinal Sen. I also remember Jagat Murari saab, who was the principal of FTII, also coming down to Kolkata for the interview,” reminisces the TMC MP.

After seeing the transformation of KIFF in the last five years, the actor-turned-politician feels most of the festivals in India have either faded away or dying their natural death. “Look at the festival in Goa, it has become a picnic festival. This is one festival, which has kept its ‘aan baan shaan’ of cinema intact. The credit I give for this is the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. Just like Durga Puja has got international recognition, the KIFF has also got international recognition because of her. Filmmakers from 39-40 countries are coming here, it is no mean achievement. The atmosphere is very good and all the stars keep coming here,” said Mr Sinha.

Amid the new controversy over Bengali-speaking people outside Bengal, Shatrughan Sinha says Bengali is his weakness, just as the culture, sweets and dresses of Bengal are dear to him. “Bengali is such a sweet language, it has got its recognition. The art and culture has grown under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee,” he said.

Shatrughan Sinha, who acted in Goutam Ghose’s Antarjali Yatra, feels it is one of his best works and that he was very happy to shoot in Bengal. So, will his daughter actor Sonakshi Sinha too act in Bengali films, you tend to ask him. Laughing out loud over the proposition, he said, “Her father has worked in Bengali films. Sonakshi’s one of the best films, according to me, is Lootere, which was shot here. So, you never know.”