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MEANINGFUL A scene from "Faltu"

A reckless boy leading an aimless life suddenly finds purpose in the innocuous query of a census official "Who is your father?" Faltu is an orphan whose mentally ill mother dies in childbirth. All he knows is that she came as a waif to the little hamlet of Ranigarh where he grew up. The question leads him to go in search of his father and his identity. His discovery that he is the son of one of the five men who raped his mother throws his life into turmoil. It also prompts him to explore his love for a girl from the village.

This is what Faltu, the forthcoming film by management guru turned producer Arindam Chaudhuri and director Anjan Das, is all about. Released this Friday, the film in Bengali with English subtitles is the story of a young man in search of identity, of a man coming to terms with his past, and with his present. Cast in lead roles are Yash Pandit, who plays the title role, and Manjari Fadnis, the village girl whom Faltu loves. You have seen them in Choudhuri's first Hindi flick that bombed at the box office, Rok Sako to Rok Lo. Other members of the cast include Indrani Halder and Soumitro Chatterjee.

This is Anjan Das's third film and like his previous two movies it is also based on Bengali literature. Adapted from the 12-page short story by Syed Mustafa Siraj, Faltu, as Chaudhari says, is a true story that brings to the fore the ills plaguing modern society. "The fact that Faltu is result of modern society touched my heart, which is why we decided to make this film," he says.

"The main problem faced by filmmakers is the lack of good stories, and literature has such a rich treasure of these. Cinema of course is visual interpretation of a text and the difference of medium allows me to interpret the story in my own way. But I believe that I have come as close as is possible to the writer's original vision," says Das.

He is all praise for his lead actors.

"They are relatively new (both Yash and Manjari are just two films old) and don't even know the language, but they have put in a lot of hard work and have come up with very good performances."

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