A poignant film, crafted by a practicing doctor and drawing deeply from his professional experiences, has earned a coveted spot in the ‘Bengali Panorama’ section of the Kolkata International Film Festival.
Pinjar, the debut feature from 42-year-old Europe-educated general medicine practitioner Rudrajit Roy, powerfully illustrates how people navigate life within various forms of confinement—prisons of gender, religion, poverty, societal customs, or the silent burdens they carry.
Scheduled for the Kolkata International Film Festival from November 6-13, the film also saw a screening at the Asian Film Festival in Barcelona on Monday, November 3, following its recent showing at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival.
The synopsis reveals, “The story unfolds through five characters and a wild bird, each mirroring the other’s yearning for freedom. Tarak, a weary bird-catcher, earns his living by imprisoning what he most admires — flight. His daughter, Jhimli, fierce yet innocent, grows up watching birds lose their sky. Paromita, a widowed schoolteacher, hides her loneliness behind the discipline of routine. Shefali, an educated working woman, paints over her bruises with silence. And Iqbal, a migrant Muslim man, struggles to belong in a city that only tolerates him. Threaded through their intersecting lives is a forest bird — stolen, sold, and caged — a quiet witness to human captivity.”
“The idea for this film sparked about a decade ago, during my early days of medical practice. I recall a train journey to a village where I saw a man carrying a small cage draped with a gamchha (towel). A parrot peered through. That single image resonated with me for years, feeling symbolic of how both humans and animals often live in invisible cages of their own. The narrative then blossomed from my life experiences and the stories shared by my patients,” Dr. Roy explained.
As a private consultant, the physician took a rare three-week sabbatical to dedicate himself to shooting the film. “Life is truly too short, and I’m committed to doing what brings me genuine fulfillment. During Pinjar’s production, I’d work on the film late into the nights, after my clinic and hospital rounds. My team was incredibly supportive. When it was time for filming, I finally took my first 21-day leave in two years, specifically saving it for this project,” he recounted.
The 2.17-hour Bengali-Hindi film features a talented cast, including Mamata Shankar, Joy Sengupta, Satakshi Nandy, and Sagnik Mukherjee.
A notable inspiration for Pinjar stemmed from Dr. Roy’s experience assisting a Muslim man during the COVID-19 lockdown, when others hesitated to offer help. “I guided him to government-provided hotel shelter and ensured he received proper medical treatment, leading to his successful recovery. Incidents like these reinforced my conviction that humanity always transcends identity. Many such individuals entered my life during that period, and each story deepened my belief that compassion and empathy are our truest strengths, regardless of faith or background,” Dr. Roy shared.
“My passion for world cinema shaped me into a film fanatic, yet I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. For me, medicine and cinema are intrinsically linked by empathy. While one has the power to heal the body, the other can mend the mind and soul. Through my films, I aspire to tell stories that move, comfort, and perhaps even offer a path to healing for someone,” Dr. Roy concluded.