TMC takes welfare pitch to big screen with 'Lakshmi Elo Ghore' ahead of Bengal polls

Kolkata, Jan 15 (PTI) Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls, the TMC has turned to the silver screen to promote its welfare-centric campaign, unveiling a 55-minute documentary projecting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's flagship schemes as social equalisers capable of transforming everyday lives.

Titled 'Lakshmi Elo Ghore', the film premiered on Wednesday night at Nandan in the presence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, party MPs and ministers, and well-known faces from the Tollywood film industry.

Conceived and vetted by Banerjee and directed by filmmaker and Barrackpore MLA Raj Chakraborty, the documentary weaves a fictional but politically charged narrative around a young widow in rural Bengal, portrayed by actor Subhashree Ganguly, whose life spirals after the sudden death of her farmer husband due to a heart attack.

As social customs tighten their grip, the widow faces humiliation within her own household, particularly from her mother-in-law, amid grinding poverty and entrenched patriarchal norms.

The turning point comes through her gradual access to state welfare schemes - Lakshmir Bhandar for household support, Khadya Sathi for food security, Krishak Bandhu for farming assistance, self-help group loans for livelihood, Kanyashree to prevent the child marriage of her sister-in-law, Swasthya Sathi for healthcare and Banglar Bari for permanent housing.

These interventions not only help the widow rebuild her life but also soften entrenched family hostility, culminating in a symbolic reconciliation in which the once-hostile mother-in-law accepts her daughter-in-law back into the household.

Party insiders said the storyline was carefully crafted to resonate with rural, semi-urban and urban poor pockets areas that have consistently formed the backbone of the TMC's electoral success, particularly due to sustained female support over the past decade.

"The duty and responsibility of any elected government is to deliver throughout its full tenure," Banerjee said after the screening. "This documentary highlights seven or eight schemes, but there are many more." Alleging financial deprivation by the Centre, Banerjee said several schemes had been implemented despite funds being blocked. "The Centre owes Bengal nearly Rs 2 lakh crore. Delhi wanted to deprive Bengal, but we did not survive on their mercy. Our government has demonstrated what Atmanirbhar Bangla means," he said.

Urging wider dissemination of welfare awareness beyond party lines, he added, "Irrespective of political differences, people must be informed about these schemes, even when the Centre is blocking funds." The film also subtly incorporates the TMC's political messaging against the Centre, including allegations of delayed fund releases and references to the SIR issue, mirroring the narratives the party plans to foreground in the run-up to the polls.

Actor Sohini Sengupta essays the role of the mother-in-law, while the cast also includes Kharaj Mukherjee, Ankush Hazra, Bhaskar Mukherjee and Ananya Bandopadhyay.

Raj Chakraborty said the film was completed in just 15 days under "war-like urgency," adding that Abhishek Banerjee personally cleared the script.

"This film is meant for public outreach," a senior TMC MP remarked after the screening, claiming the storyline reflected the lived reality of nearly 75 per cent of Bengal's population.

The documentary will now be screened across neighbourhoods and villages as part of the TMC's grassroots campaign. PTI PNT MNB