A young innovator from Hooghly has won a nomination for 11th National Science Film Festival of India, 2021, for his short film on Pandit Madhusudan Gupta, who is credited to have performed the first human dissection.
Adhunik Bharoter Sushrut: Pandit Madhusudan Gupta by Avigyan Kishor Das, a student of Class X at Hooghly Collegiate School, is the only Bengali language film to make it to the students’ category of the festival organised by Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, to celebrate science through cinema.
Das’s film will be screened during the finals from August 22 to August 26 in Bhopal.
The poster for the film
The 3 Idiots fan has earlier had his scientific innovations patented by the Indian government. ‘’I wrote the script, directed the short film and edited it by myself. It took me around two to three weeks to do everything. I got immense support from my classmates and school authorities. My father has also been by my side always. We shot in my school and also went to the house of Pandit Madhusudan Gupta in Baidyabati during the making of this film’,” he said.
‘‘Pandit Madhusudan Gupta achieved great success in the field of medical science but today not much is known about him. I hope someday there will at least be a hospital in his name,” said the 15-year-old.
The Telegraph Edugraph 18 Under 18 winner faced his share of challenges, too. ‘’The film was made within a very short time. I also realised that not much research has been done on Pandit Madhusudan Gupta, the subject of my film. I had to gather information and then write a script. There were also some technical challenges because I am not a professional filmmaker. I had to make do with basic equipment available.’’
Avigyan Kishor Das during the shoot of his film at a hospital in Chinsurah
The National Science Film Festival of India is an annual event. The selection for the latest edition began a year ago with the announcement of the theme ‘Contribution of Scientists in the Indian Freedom Struggle’. ‘’The festival website announced the theme around July-August last year. I worked on Pandit Madhusudan Gupta and sent them the film. There are several categories in the competition and my film has been nominated in the Rainbow Category, which is for students from Classes VI to XII. Only six movies from all over India have been selected for the finals in this category, my film being the only one from Bengal and in Bengali language,’’ the Hooghly boy said.
The nomination has not only left Das elated but has encouraged him to do more. “It is not easy to make it to the finals of the National Science Film Festival. In Bhopal, prizes will be given to winners in each category,” said Das, who owes his interest in films to Satyajit Ray. “My favourites of Ray are Agantuk and Sonar Kella.”
