Sudipto Sen is an Indian writer-director who came into the limelight after the release of the trailer of the controversial Hindi film “Kerala Story” in November 2022, The film tells the story of thousands of girls in Kerala who were forcibly and illegally converted to Islam to recruit for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Wiki/Biography
Sudipto Sen was born on January 16 in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. Sudipto studied at Jalpaiguri Zilla School (from Grade 4 to Grade 7) in West Bengal and BT Road Government School in Kolkata. He pursued his Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Master’s degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Calcutta.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′3″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Sudipto Sen belongs to a Bengali family.
Parents and siblings
Not much information is available about Sudipto’s parents.
Photos of Sudipto Sen’s parents
wife and children
There is not much information about Sudipto’s marital status.
Profession
In 1997, Sudipto made his directorial debut with the documentary “Other Fortunes”. In 1998, he directed the documentary “Ripple Land”. From 1998 to 2002, Sudipto served as a Select Producer for the World Bank. In 2006, he directed his first English-language feature film, “The Last Monk.”
In the same year, Sudipto was nominated for Best Director at the Singapore International Film Festival for his film “The Last Monk”. In 2007, he directed the Hindi/French bilingual film Akhnoor. In 2008, he made his directorial debut with the Malayalam film “Anthiponnovettam”. He later directed several films such as Lucknow Times (2015), Asma (2018), Guruji: Ahead (2018), Gurujana (2022) and “Kerala Story” (2023).
dispute
He was personally attacked for screening the movie “In the Name of Love – The Melancholy of the Motherland” at Jinan University.
Screening of Sudipto organized by Global India Foundation and Vivekanand Vichal Manjhi at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Sabarmati Darbha, New Delhi on 28 April 2018 The film “In the Name of Love – Melancholy in God’s Country”. As soon as the screening began, members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) and the Gender Sensitization Committee against Sexual Harassment disrupted the screening of the film, claiming that the film was based on the concept of love jihad (illegal conversion of women to Islam) . , which could exacerbate hostility between different religious groups. Protesters opposed to the film injured several students, roughed up several female students and even ran over a security guard with a car. Sudipto claimed that protesters tried to smash his laptop and hard drive and that he was slapped, pushed and physically assaulted during the riot. In an interview, Sudipto expressed his dissatisfaction with the violent treatment of students at Jinan University, saying:
The film is not anti-Muslim or anti-community. This basically ties into the pattern we identified in Kerala, which is that ISIS plans to transform Kerala into an Islamic state, which is what VSAchutanandan predicted. What intolerance they show, what abuse they show, what attitude they show towards a piece of art. What I do is my art, and if you stifle the truth, if you prevent the display of art, then that is basically the anti-democratic situation that prevails at Jinan University. We are not being illogical, we are not using any emotional words. Every word in the video is backed by supporting documentation. We have documents, we have outrageous documents. We just talked about the documents that we collected. This is really terrible. “
Complaint filed against film ‘Kerala Story’ for defaming state
In November 2022, Sudipto dropped the trailer of the film “Kerala Story”. The trailer states that about 32,000 girls converted to Islam and were taken to areas in Syria and Afghanistan controlled by the Islamic State, and were eventually forced to join the terrorist organization “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” (ISIS). The trailer was heavily criticized online upon its release for allegedly portraying the country as “the heart of Islamic terrorism.” Tamil Nadu journalist BR Arvindakshan filed a complaint seeking a ban on the film unless the director corroborated the facts presented in the film. He claimed that the film was aimed at destroying the peace, unity and integrity of the country, which could lead to communal divisions. The case was registered under Section 153 A and B (promoting disharmony and enmity between different groups on grounds of belief) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code. Arvindakshan wrote in his complaint:
Trying to make Kerala look like a state that supports terrorism through movies is a very bad thing. This is not only against the unity and sovereignty of India but also a disgrace to the country’s intelligence agencies as the film aims to show a bad side of Kerala. The trailer states that 32,000 women have been forced to convert and join ISIS. If this is true, it means that every day for the past 10 years, 9 women from Kerala have converted to Islam and joined ISIS. This means that 3,000 women join ISIS every year. Unless the information can be verified, this seems unacceptable. ”
Speaking to reporters, Sudipto said,
I said 32,000 girls are missing. If you go to areas like Kasargod or Malappuram in northern Kerala, you will find locals claiming the number is as high as 50,000. Why and how it happened is what this movie is about. I can’t reveal the entire story of the film just yet. I have also personally spoken to the NIA. Give me some time and I’ll give you all the answers. ”
Awards
- 1997: Won the Global 500 Honorary Role Award at the Human Rights Film Festival in Geneva, Switzerland for the documentary “Other Wealth”
- 2006: The British feature film “The Last Monk” won the Best Cinematography Award at the International Film Festival
- 2007: The short film “Akhnoor” won the Best Film Award at the Golden Gate Film Festival in the United States.
- 2007: The short film “Akhnoor” won the Comprehensive Realization Award at the Belgian International Film Festival
- 2007: Won the Best Director Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival for his short film “Akhnoor”
- 2018: The documentary “In the Name of Love” won the Best Film Award! London Independent Film Awards
- 2020: National Film Award for Best Music Direction (Non-Feature Film) for the documentary Master Ji – In Advance
Facts/Trivia
- Sudipto follows a non-vegetarian diet.
Sudipto Sen’s Instagram post shows off his eating habits
- In 2006, Sudipto’s English feature film “The Last Monk” premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
- Sudipto Sen is the only Indian to be selected as one of the jury members of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November 2022.
- On November 28, 2022, at the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Nadav Lapid, who was the chief juror of IFFI, issued a statement criticizing Bollywood film “The Kashmir Files” and called it “disturbing and vulgar”. In an interview, when Sudipto was asked what he thought of Nadav’s remarks, he called them “unethical” and said,
As a matter of convention, etiquette and ethics, the jury should discuss the winning film. We don’t talk about movies that didn’t win awards. The jury has nothing to do with the people who discuss rejected films in public forums. I would find it unethical if one of us casually talked about a film that didn’t even win an award on a platform. That incident at the closing ceremony ruined the entire festival. ”
Sudipto directed a commercial for Shell Oil Company in which Pakistani singer and musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan lent his voice to its jingle.
- Sudipto is often spotted drinking with friends at events and parties.
Sudipto Sen’s Instagram post showing him drinking beer
- Sudipto’s hobbies include cooking and traveling.
- Sudipto served as a member of the Education Committee of the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
- Sudipto’s film “Gurujana” has been selected for the Indian Panorama Section of the 53rd Indian International Film Festival in 2022.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education