Director Rituparno Ghosh to play lead in gay love story

Kolkata, Feb 26 (IANS) Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh is all set to debut as an actor with director Kaushik Ganguly's gay love story 'Chhaya Chhobi'.

But Ganguly clarified that the character is not inspired by Ghosh's life.

'Although Ghosh plays a director, the character is not at all inspired by him. In fact, the story idea came to my mind after one of my team members, who was a gay, had an untimely death. I realised what a lonely and psychologically miserable life he had, just because the society found his behaviour and thought process 'abnormal',' Ganguly told IANS.

Ghosh will play a film director, Neel who is in love with his cameraman. But the cameraman is a bisexual and married.

Asked him how he finalised Ghosh for the lead role, Ganguly said: 'I met Ghosh some time back and he asked me about my new project. When I told him the story of 'Chhaya Chhobi', he was curious to know if I have anyone in mind to play the gay filmmaker called Neel. I said 'I would love to have you as Neel'.

'There was a long pause and then Ghosh said if I am serious about casting him as Neel, he is ready for it. I am thankful to him because no one in our Bengali film industry has a better capability to understand human psyche than him and hence he will do justice to the character.'

Ganguly wants to give a message through the film.

'I want the society to realise that no individual can dictate another man's life. My film is a love story of two men - one homosexual and another bisexual - where forced loneliness and psychological, physical and social alienation play the key roles,' Ganguly said.

'Neel doesn't have any guilt feeling about being gay. His behaviour is slightly effeminate, but I didn't dress him up like a woman with bangles or 'bindi' or make-up for simple reason - gays are not eunuchs (as they are portrayed on-screen nowadays).

'And, a gay love story is no different from a man-woman love story. As far as I know, this is going to be the first full-length film on gays in India,' Ganguly said.

Raima Sen will play a researcher, while Ganguly's actor wife, Churni Ganguly, will play cameraman's spouse.

The actor, who will play the cameraman, is yet to be finalised.