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Documentary
to remember Plassey 250 years on
Express
News Service
Kolkata,
June 24: On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Battle
of Plassey, Diptendu Dey of Eastern News TV has tried to capture
the period from 1720 to 1780 in his documentary drama The Battle
of Plassey. This is perhaps the first time a documentary drama
is being made on this period with its focus on Shiraj-ud-Daullah.
"I
wanted to capture the period from 1720 to 1780, when the Mughal
Empire was in doldrums and the British, with the help of the East
India Company's monopoly in business, were emerging as the supreme
power in Bengal," said Dey. Funded by the ministry of external
affairs, the 60-minute documentary drama costing more than half
a crore, is slated to hit theatres on the eve of Independence
Day.
From
apparels to weapons, Dey has spared no effort to give his documentary
a look that truly resembles the era. Replica "valla",
"jam dhaara", arrows, guns, gunpowder pockets and other
weapons used in the battle of 1757 have been made by professionals.
A replica of the Nawab's "bajra" has also been created
at the cost of Rs two lakh. Narinder, the dress designer for Rang
De Basanti, has designed the attires for this movie.
"We
consulted the Archaeological Survey of India and the related works
of eminent scholars like Tagore, Sayeed Mustafa," said Dey.
Amol Parwal and Bhagwan Tewari, two students of the National School
of Drama, Delhi have performed the parts of the Nawab and Mirjafar
respectively.
The
documentary was shot in Murshidabad, Chena Creek and Indore. "The
shooting is almost over, but certain battle sequences are still
left. As there were no war horses available in Kolkata, we could
not shoot here. We will hand over the film to the ministry by
August 10," said Dey.
