Of chess prodigy & celebrating mothers - ‘Dabaru’s special screening

A special screening of the movie ‘Dabaru’ was held in Kolkata on Sunday (May 12, 2024). Directed by Prathikrit Basu, ‘Dabaru’ is the story of a young chess prodigy, Souro, emerging from North Kolkata streets to achieve the revered title of Grandmaster. Through various obstacles and challenges, Souro receives the support of his grandfather, coach, and mother, who serve as his support system. The film is inspired by the times and life of Surya Sekhar Ganguly, who became a chess prodigy at the young age of five years.

Dabaru stars Dipankar Dey, Rituparna Sengupta, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Kaushik Sen, Biswanath Basu, Shankar Chakraborty, Samadarshi Sarkar, Arghya Basu Roy and others.

As the story unfolds, Souro’s grandfather (played by Dipankar Dey) realizes that Souro is good at chess, further deciding to teach him chess professionally with the help of his mother Karuna (played by Rituparna Sengupta), despite the objections raised by his father and their continuous financial stress. Later, he meets Rathijit (played by Chiranjeet), his coach who mentors and helps him in his journey of playing chess, making him compete against others and to make him realise his dream of becoming a Grandmaster.

Since the movie was screened on the occasion of Mother’s Day, mother-son and mother-daughter duos of the movie world were invited to be part of the audience. Adgully caught up with the cast and crew of ‘Dabaru’, who were present there and explored the dynamics of the bond between mothers and their children as well as the significance of the film.

On being asked about how his experience was on being a part of the film ‘Dabaru’, actor Chiranjeet Chakraborty said, “It was a wonderful experience to be a part of the film ‘Dabaru’.”

Arghya Basu Roy, who portrays the elder version of Souro, was accompanied by his mother. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Overall, the experience was very nice. I gave an audition and gradually got selected. I used to play chess at home just like others, and after I got selected, Surya Sir himself came and taught me how to play chess on a professional level. Some days he was on set and then his assistant was there with us always.” On being asked whether he wants to be an actor when he grows up, he just smiled.

Reflecting on his experience while working on the film, Prathikrit Basu shared, “It was tough as this is not just about drama, romance, action or comedy, it has a different layer to it and it has been very difficult to shoot it. Here in a sequence, the main protagonist is playing with sixteen bowls, so he has to be particular in his moves. Dabaru means a chess player, so he had to be very accurate with the chess moves. Every chess move had to be accurate and had to be either from Surya Sen Ganguly or from his associates. Apart from this, there is a five-year-old boy and there is Dipankar Da, who is almost 70 years old. So, it was a little hectic to shoot, but I’m very happy that the film is getting such positive responses, today a lot of halls are houseful. I’m receiving all positive vibes, thanks to the audience. Hopefully, in this summer vacation, more people will come to the halls and watch the film.”

Actress Koneenica Banerjee, who was accompanied by her little daughter, shared her thoughts on Mother’s Day, saying, “I do not think we need a day to celebrate motherhood, but if there is a day, why not? We never say thank you to our mothers, there is no gratitude towards our mothers, but with time we should change and we should thank our mothers every single day, not just particularly one day. ‘Dabaru’ is a film which all mothers and children should watch. I know I will enjoy watching ‘Dabaru’ because Windows always makes films which remain in our thoughts long after walking out of the movie hall. There is always a note with which you will go back.”

Ruminating on how this year’s Mother's Day is different from the past years, actress Debleena Dutt, who came along with her mother, said, “This one is different as team ‘Dabaru’ has arranged this special screening for mother-daughter or mother-son duos, making it hugely special for my mother to receive such an invitation. They are making the mothers feel very special, which is distinctly good according to me.”