Story of Basanta Biswas, penned by Ujjal Biswas, to be portrayed on celluloid

Kolkata: Basanta Kumar Biswas was one of the revolutionary leaders who had sacrificed his life in the Indian freedom struggle. It was on May 11, 1915 when Biswas became one of the youngest persons (he was 20) to be hanged by the British at Ambala Central Jail in Punjab. More than 100 years after his death, his life and political outlook will be portrayed in celluloid. The man behind this is none other than his nephew Ujjal Biswas — the state minister for Correctional Administration.

"I have been toying with the idea of making a film on my uncle for a long time so that the Generation Y can know of his contribution and sacrifice in India's freedom struggle. Finally it will become a reality. The nod of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is expected to come within a few days," Biswas, who has penned the script of the film, said.

Basanta Biwas is remembered for his act of throwing a bomb on December 23, 1912, at then Viceroy Lord Charles Hardinge, who was riding with his wife on an elephant during a procession at Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Hardinge escaped with flesh wounds, but his mahout was killed in the attack.

The film titled Banhi Balak Basanta is being produced under the banner of Sayan Enterprises named after his son Sayan who died in October 2012 of severe burn injuries. The producer of the film is none other than the minister's wife Minakshi Biswas.

The film is being directed by Sankar Majumder who has been doing documentaries on famous people for a long time. The film has been shot mainly in Nadia with a major part shot in and around the forests of the district.

The minister said that for the last 30 years, he has been organising a three-day fair titled Basanta Mela at his village home in Poragacha, Nadia in the month of February. "I have heard about the bravery of my uncle from my aunt and the various incidents associated with him. I have tried to include as many of them in my script as I can. Though there will be familiar faces in the lead roles, the other actors are mostly fresh faces," he said.

Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee has lent his voice to the film.

Born on February 6, 1895, Basanta belonged to the family of freedom fighter Digamabar Biswas, an active leader of the Indigo revolt (Nil Bidroha) and freedom fighter Manmathnath Biswas.

He started his journey in freedom fight under Khirodh Chandra Ganguly the principal in Muragacha school. Later, he was recruited by Rash Behari Bose and trained in arms and bombs. He regarded Bose as his "Guru".