Bengali film actors join hands to help calamity-hit people in north Bengal

Kolkata, Oct 8 (PTI) Pledging solidarity with the calamity-hit people of north Bengal, the Bengal film industry has decided to mobilise funds for the people affected by floods and landslides.

Actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev on Tuesday said producers, directors and film stars have joined hands to raise as much money as possible for the next of kin of the deceased and the injured.

The collected amount will be handed over to the West Bengal Chief Minister’s Relief Fund within a day, they said.

An Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) spokesperson said around Rs 20 lakh had already been raised.

As the initiative began only from Tuesday noon, we are hopeful that the total collection will rise further as the response has been overwhelming, Chatterjee said.

"Those associated with the entertainment industry lead stressful lives and often have to honour prior commitments for shows which they cannot cancel as they entertain lakhs of people. Hence, they should not be judged unfairly," he added.

Expressing grief, Chatterjee said, "We are deeply moved by the scale of human suffering in a part of our state. We share a long-standing bond with north Bengal and wish to help in every possible way, both physically and financially." Dev said apart from him and Prosenjit, actor Srabanti Chatterjee and producers Firdausal Hasan, Himanshu Dhanuka and Rana Sarkar have also contributed to the initiative.

Earlier, Prosenjit and several other Bengali film personalities faced social media criticism for attending the Durga Puja Carnival on Red Road on October 6, shortly after reports of the calamity in Mirik, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and adjoining areas, where floods and landslides had claimed several lives.

Prosenjit later posted on social media: "The Bengali cinema industry stands with the people of north Bengal. We can feel your pain. At this moment, we want to join your fight against adversity. Our cinema remains incomplete without the great people of north Bengal." PTI SUS MNB