Kolkata Literary Meet's (KALAM) 14th edition began on January 22 at the Alipore Museum, bringing together writers, filmmakers, actors and scholars for five days of dialogue around literature, cinema and culture. The opening day saw sessions featuring authors, academics and film personalities, reflecting the festival’s long-standing attempt to place storytelling at the intersection of memory and contemporary life.
Among those present was actress Moon Moon Sen, who participated in the Uttam Shotoborsho session celebrating the legacy of Bengal’s Mahanayak. Speaking exclusively to News Ei Samay, Sen reflected on her mother, Suchitra Sen and her personal discipline, and how Sen understands romance both on screen and in life.
Moon Moon Sen on her mother and the idea of romance
When asked about how the portrayal of women has evolved in Bengali cinema, Moon Moon Sen was candid in her response. “I don’t watch Bengali movies,” she said, adding that while she knows the actresses who worked with her mother, she hasn’t really watched their films. “I am the wrong person to ask,” she admitted.
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What she does know intimately, however, is the woman behind the screen persona. “My mother was a very simple, humble person, but very bad-tempered, very strict,” Sen said.
'Romance is them'
Recalling moments from film sets, Sen spoke about watching actors perform intimacy without overt physicality. “During a shoot, I saw them together on the set, acting. They didn’t have to be physical. They just had to stand there, talking to each other, looking at each other and that was intimacy. That was romance,” she said.
Contrasting that with contemporary portrayals, Sen observed that romance today often feels narrowly defined. “Today, romance doesn’t exist in our lives in the same way. We think getting into bed and having a physical union is romance. But romance is them,” she added, pointing to a quieter, more suggestive language of emotion that she feels has faded from mainstream storytelling.
Srijit Mukherji on history and thrillers
Filmmaker Srijit Mukherji, who was also part of the session, spoke exclusively to News Ei Samay about his enduring interest in history and mystery. “I would love to work on Kalidas’s texts. I think it’s not yet explored deeply,” he said, flagging ancient literature as fertile ground for contemporary cinema.
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Explaining his creative drive, Mukherji added, “Any historical film where there is intrigue or suspense, when I create such movies, even the research becomes a thriller. That itself is a thriller for me.”
The Kolkata Literary Meet will continue at the Alipore Museum till January 26, with more sessions lined up across literature, cinema and cultural history.
