Nirbashito To Re-Release Amidst Taslima Nasrin's Return To Kolkata After 19 Years

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is scheduled to return to Kolkata on August 1 for the first time since 2007 to participate in an anti-fundamentalism literary event at Rabindra Sadan. The programme has been organised by a coalition of secular and anti-fundamentalist organisations, where she is expected to recite poetry, take part in a discussion and attend a civic reception. To mark the return, Churni Ganguly's celebrated directorial debut, Nirbashito, that draws from Nasrin's life and similar experiences of exiled artists, is set to re-release.

Released in 2014, Nirbashito tells the story of a woman writer who is forced to leave her homeland after receiving threats from religious extremists. Inspired by Nasrin's life, the film trails its protagonist as she navigates loneliness, displacement and exile. The film went on to win two National Awards, including Best Bengali Film and Best Audiography.

Nasrin lived in Kolkata between 2004 and 2007 before being forced to leave following violent protests over her autobiographical book Dwikhandito. The then Left Front government also banned the book after allegations of blasphemy sparked outrage.

Shrikant Mohta, co-founder of SVF, the production house that produced Nirbashito, said, “We would be glad to bring Nirbashito back to theatres and honour Taslima Nasrin, whose remarkable journey inspired this powerful film. More than a re-release, it will be a celebration of a story that continues to resonate with its themes of identity, resilience and freedom of expression.” He added that Churni Ganguly’s sensitive storytelling, along with performances by Saswata Chatterjee, Raima Sen and the entire cast ensured the film was a deeply resonant experience. “We hope a new generation of audiences discovers this important film on the big screen,” he said.

Churni Ganguly On Nirbashito's Re-Release

That circle will fully close if she returns with the dignity she deserves", Churni Ganguly said regarding the re-release.

She elaborated, "It would be a great joy for Taslima Nasreen to finally return to Kolkata. She stayed in Delhi all these years to remain close to the city, hoping to be welcomed back one day. Whether she returns permanently should be her choice — but Kolkata should at least give her that opportunity. This is the language she writes in, yet she has lived away from those who speak it. The re-release of Nirbashito makes this moment especially emotional for me. Inspired by Nasrin’s exile from Bangladesh and her forced departure from Kolkata, the film explores the pain of displacement. You answer a book with another book, a poem with another poem — but you don’t exile a person for writing. In the end, those acts only brought her more readers. She never stopped writing. I never imagined, while making the film, that I’d one day re-release it hoping to welcome her back. This circle will be complete if she returns with the dignity she deserves. She once told me she’d wanted to be a poet, but life compelled her to write about society, injustice and exile instead. If Nirbashito releases while she’s in Kolkata and she can watch it here again, it will feel like a full circle".