'Nirbashito' is not a biopic on Taslima Nasreen: Actress Churni Ganguly on winning the National Film Award for her directorial debut

New Delhi: Actress Churni Ganguly hit bull's eye with her first directorial venture 'Nirbashito' as it lapped up the Best Bengali Film at the recently announced 62nd National Film Awards.

In an exclusive chat with IBNLive.com, the elated actress, who is a popular face of Bengali cinema, said how the subject of 'Nirbashito' chose her and not the other way round as it is perceived mostly.

"The subject was lying around for a while. Kaushik (Ganguly) himself had written a script around it and I happen to come across it and showed interest to write it my way. I was offered to direct with a ready script in hand but I was keen on writing it my way. I told my husband that if I have to direct the film, I will write the script my way- it will be my interpretation," said the actress.

'Nirbashito' is based on author Taslima Nasreen's life and her days in exile outside her own country Bangladesh. But the film has been fictionalized to an extent. The film revolves around an author and her pet cat. "Kaushik's script was about a mother and a daughter but I chose to have a cat instead of a daughter in my story. The emotions for a pet cat are maternal."

When asked whether she purposely did not name her character, the actress said, "Taslima was a subtext. My film is fiction. Why would I name the character Taslima? I wasn't making a biopic on her. My character could be anyone, it could be a man also," defended Ganguly.

Did she face any kind of objection from any authorities while making a film based on the controversial author? "There is nothing to object. My film is about banishment from one's own motherland. It is not political at all. It is more humanitarian in nature," said the director and added, "I didn't want to sell a controversy through my film."

Considering the actress and her husband, Kaushik Ganguly are both into filmmaking, does she feel the censor board at times unnecessarily puts regulations on cinema? "I don't want my wings to be tied for sure. But I haven't faced any problem from them so far. Having said that, I do welcome a healthy debate on the issue of banning films and books."

The actress is gearing up for the commercial release of 'Nirbaashito' and is also writing her next script. When asked how Taslima Nasreen reacted to her film, Ganguly said, "You should ask her actually but she was overwhelmed."####