Baulani

Ladly Mukhopadhaya is an experienced media and film professional with nearly three decades of work behind him. Film direction and cinematography are his forte. His work takes him all over India and abroad, giving him a good mix of national as well as international exposure. He started his career with NDTV, shifted to Doordarshan as a programme director and later worked in the same capacity with ETV (with 3 programmes). He also worked with ZEE TV, AKASH BANGLA and NE TV as a director producer and created probing news based programmes with highest TRPs.
He has directed television programmes, telefilms, training films, documentaries (over 200), corporate films, commercials/ ad films, music videos and feature films – for many of which he has also been the cinematographer. He has received appreciation for his work in the form of numerous awards and critical acclaim.
His creations mostly deal with socio-cultural issues of marginalized, under-privileged communities, documenting peoples’ voices and feelings, raising questions backed by reason and sensitivity. His films on forced eviction of people from the farmland raised a serious debate and won him many national and international awards. His passion for folk culture and lifestyle has also been a driving force for most of his films. Ladly is also well-known as a columnist and a film critic for his insight and special style of penning his thoughts down. He is regularly published in noted Bengali dailies and magazines. Collections of his columns are available in quite a few books on cinema and on folk culture. He has edited an anthology on Kafka in Bengali. The other books by him are, “Cinema non-cinema”. “News and discourse”, ‘Watch Cinema Read Cinema’. ‘Melakhelar Dhulokhelay’ (Playing in the dust of village fairs), and ‘Udasi Babar Akhra, Vol 1 & Vol 2’ are collection of essays narrating his life experience in the company of marginal and alternative performers in the country and abroad. As a senior fellowship awardee of Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India he carried out a research and visual documentation project on the Bauls of Bengal. His feature length documentary on the legendary Baul musician Gour Khepa has won national and international awards.
Currently he is working on the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh covering their culture and life style.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

• Senior Fellowship award from the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, for a two year (2011-12) research and photographic documentation project on the Bauls of Bengal.

• Visiting lecturer – have worked in the
 Dept of Film Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
 Dept of Mass Communications and Journalism, Kolkata University

• Video Design Consultant / Program Design Director
 Silicon FX Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata
 SRK Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Kolkata
 Prajna Foundation, Bangalore
 EXIN Media, Kolkata

• Vice President, Broadcast Quality Video Workers and Technicians Association, Kolkata

• Member, Executive Committee, Shishu Kishore Academy (a state Govt organization for children), Member of the organizing committee for Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival

MEDIA – CURRENT AFFAIRS

• TELEVISION CHANNEL PROGRAMMES

 Hochhe Ta Ki (1998-1999) – a 104 episode political video magazine for ETV Bangla. Achieved highest TRP rating in satellite television.
 Loktantra Votetantra (1996) – a 2 episode documentary for Kolkata Doordarshan.
 Janaganamana (1995) – a 72 episode documentary serial for ZEE TV.
 Nirman (1995) – a 30 episode Bengali serial for Kolkata Doordarshan.
 Hassan (1994) – a documentary on renowned novelist Hassan Azizul Haque for Bangladesh Television
 Popular news programme Khas Khobor for Doordarshan, Kolkata, as Senior Director, on behalf of Rainbow Productions, Had highest TRP

• PRINT MEDIA

 Contributor (as regular columnist) to several newspapers and magazines such as Khabor 365 Din, Cinema Ebong,. Sanbad Pratidin, Sukhabor (worked with Sananda also)
 Author
 3 Books on films titled “Cinema Acinema”. “Sanbad Bisanbad”, ‘Cinema Dekha Cinema Pora’ (an anthology of published articles)
 ‘Kholamelar Melakhelay – Baul Fakir Antyaja katha’ A book on the village fairs of Bengal and the Bauls and Fakirs who are the main attractions of these fairs
 Udasi Babar Akhra Vol 1 and Vol 2 – collection of essays from his popular weekly column
 Hostir Konya – about the legendary folk (Goalparia) singer Pratima Barua.
 Edited a Bengali anthology on Jibonananda Das and Kafka Bichar - an anthology on Franz Kafka.

APPRECIATIONS RECEIVED:

 “Best Documentary Film of the Year” by the Bengal Film Journalists’ Association (BFJA), and enlisted in Indian Panorama.for the film NACHNI.
 Award in the “Art and Culture Section” at the International Leipzig Film Festival.
 “Special Jury Award” at the Festival of South Asian Documentaries and Short Films, Colombo (1992) for ‘Anugato Kolkata’
 ‘Kabi Arun Mitra’ (1993) – a 35 mm black and white documentation of the famous Bengali poet’s life and work. Awarded in the “art and culture section” at the International Leipzig Film Festival.
 ‘Mela - A Sub marginal Potpourrie’ (50 mins, 2008) a film on hidden rural fairs of W.Bengal, Special Jury award in the Strasbourg festival.
 ‘Whose Land is it Anyway?’ (40 minutes, 2007) a film on Singur crisis, Indian Panorama (Goa, 2007). Screened in international film festivals in Rome (Asiaticfilmmediale), Strasbourg in 2007 and was selected the best film in Lyon (France) in 2008
 “Nandigram. This Land is Mine’ (2007, 46m) directed by him has been screened in the international film festival in Rome in 2007 and in Lyon (France) in 2008
 ‘Mela - A Sub marginal Potpourrie’ (50 mins, 2006) a film by him has also been screened in the Strasbourg festival in 2007.
 ‘Between Darkness and Light’ (2006, 27:43 min).a film on Tagore’s paintings, Indian Panorama (Goa, 2006) for which he had been the Script-writer, cinematographer, Music composer, Technical Director
 Senior Fellowship award from the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, for a two year (2011-12) research and visual documentation project on the Bauls of Bengal.
 A retrospective of 4 films (Aachuley, Nachni, Mela and The Endless Journey) in Days of Ethnographic Cinema, Moscow, organized by The Russian Institute for Cultural Research, 2012
 A feature length documentary ‘Khepar Mon Brindabon’ on Gour Khepa 2015 has been awarded in Canada International Film Festival. It was official selection in FOG Movie Fest (Silicon Valley) and MIFF, India.
 Population First Award (Laadli) in 2015 as the best journalist featuring women’s issues in the media.

A glimpse of filmography

Educational & Training Films

 Visva-Bharati – The Heritage (52 mins, 2011), a film produced by Visva-Bharati, for presentation at UNESCO
 The Honest Theatre A Quest – (68 mins, 2009), a film on Sombhu Mitra, the father figure of modern Indian theatre, screened in MIFF, 2010
 A series of 12 documentaries on Rabindra Nath Tagore’s works ( 2005-- 2008), commissioned by Min. of HRD
 Little Magazines in Bangla (2005) – a 2 part documentary for the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore
 A series of documentaries on Bengali language, Bhasha Mandakini Project, Min. of HRD
 Aksharnama (1992) – a documentary on literacy for National Literacy Mission, New Delhi, acquired by UNESCO.

Rural Perspective: a glimpse from a set of 150 films

• Aachuley – Victory to You – (52 mins, 2010), a film on Lepchas of India, Films Division
• A series of 48 films on 11 tribes of Sikkim, 2007-2009, for Min of HRD
• Mela - A Sub marginal Potpourrie (50 mins, 2008) a film on hidden rural fairs of W.Bengal, awarded in Strasbourg.
• Whose Land is it Anyway? (40 minutes, 2007) a film on Singur crisis, Indian Panorama
• Nandigram. This Land is Mine (2007, 46m)
• Tripura’s Wildlife Sanctuaries (2005) – a 4 part documentation of Tripura’s wildlife sanctuaries for PPC(NE), under contract from independent producer.
• Tripura’s Success Diary (2005) – a 4 part documentation of Tripura’s economic development till date for PPC(NE)
• Tribes of Tripura (1991) – a 32 episode introductory documentary series for Delhi Doordarshan Kendra
• Bankura Unlimited (1997) – a documentation of the development of Bankura district (West Bengal). Premiered at the Bharat Utsav in Philadelphia, USA
• Beach Comber’s Diary (1996) – a series of 7 documentaries on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands Doordarshan, National Network and several international tourism festivals.
• Dui Kanya (1995)– a documentation of the success story of two tribal women in the Santhal Parganas. Produced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, was sent to represent India in the Women’s International Conference in Beizing.
• 6 training films for Ministry of Panchayati Raj documenting success of Panchayati Raj in Sikkim and W. Bengal (2007-2011)
• 1 documentary film on rural computer training activities of CDAC, India, 2012
• One hour documentary on the tribal girls of Purulia who resisted underage marriage, commissioned by Public Service Broadcasting Trust, for Doordarshan, 2013.
• Two feature length documentaries, ‘Khepar Mon Brindabon’ & “gour Unpublished: on legendary baul Gour Khepa
• Short documentaries on different aspects of Baul Fakir music and culture, Bangla Kawali and Rajasthani Langa, Mangniyar and Kalbelia cultural communities, commissioned by Banglanatok.Com under UNESCO project.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Feature Films

As Director/Cinematographer:

 Shuorani Duorani (2001) – direction & camera, a two and half hours commercial Bengali feature film based on a popular fairy tale. It was critically acclaimed and also earned box office success (starred Rituparna Sengupta & Firdous)
 Paromitar Ekdin (2000) – camera, Directed by Aparna Sen, awarded Best Feature Film at the National Film festival
 Shonar Payera (1994) – camera, Directed by Mriganka Shekhar Roy. Awarded by the Bengal Film Journalists’ Association (BFJA) and selected by National Panorama.
 Kheer (1993) – camera, Directed by Manmohan Singh. Awarded Best Regional Feature Film at the National Film festival.

• Telefilms

As Director/Cinematographer:
 Bengali Telefilms for Aakaash Bangla TV in 2004
 A series of Bengali Telefilms for ETV Bangla in 1999 - 2004
 Shesh Kotha (1999) – a Telefilm on social awareness for Kolkata Doordarshan.
 Sahajatri (1998) – a Telefilm on AIDS awareness sponsored by WHO and Department of Health, Govt. of West Bengal.
 Rang (1998) – Hindi Telefilm for Doordarshan, National Network.
 Protinidhi (1998) – Bengali Telefilm for Doordarshan, Kolkata.

• ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMMES IN TELEVISION

 Campus Thekey (2000) – a weekly educational programme for Kolkata Doordarshan.
 Close Up (1998-1999) – a 340 episode entertainment video magazine for ETV Bangla. Achieved highest TRP rating in satellite television. (I was associated with ETV Bangla from its inception)
 Srishti Anasrishti (1998-1999) – a 104 episode cultural video magazine for ETV Bangla. Achieved highest TRP rating in satellite television
 Town Hall (1996) – a documentary for Kolkata Doordarshan
 Bridled Genius (1992) – a 13 episode documentary series on folk performers of Bengal
 Beyond (1991) – a 40-minute musical documentary on Baul singers of Bengal for Doordarshan, national Network.
 Radhu Babu (2001) – a one-hour documentation on musical maestro Pandit Radhika Mohan Mitra. Premiered on ETV Bangla and acquired by Sangeet Natak Academy and CCRT (Centre for Cultural Research and Training), New Delhi
 Maharaj (1996) – the first documentation of cricketer Sourav Ganguly, screened on Doordarshan, Kolkata & National Network, and ESPN
 Design and production of a 52 episodes childrens’ weekly for NE Bangla

• MUSIC VIDEOS

 Manna Dey, Sandhya Mukherjee, Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, Lopamudra Mitra, Tapan Sinha, Sanajit Mondol – for HMV
 Usha Uthup – for ETV bangla
 Pratik Chowdhury – for Sony Music

COMMERCIALS AND CORPORATE FILMS

JCT Phagwara, Bharat Carbon & Ribbons Ltd, Crebs and Say, Power Grid Corporation, Sunrise Masala, Asli Chai, SPS Group (Elegant), Rupa, Roshni Tubes, Oscar, Ronix, Santosh Electronics, etc.

CLIENTELE:

Films division, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Govt. of India, Ministry of Human Resource & Development, Govt. of India, Visva-Bharati University, C-DAC, Department of Science and Technology, GOI, Public Service Broadcasting Trust, Banglanatok.Com

CONTACT

Address: Ladly Mukhopadhaya, Udasi Babar Akhra, Vill. Ballabhpur, PO Sriniketan, Pin:731236

Alternative address: 398 Ashok Road, Kolkata 700 084

Cell phone: 09830028621

email: m.ladly@gmail.com, freebirdproductions@gmail.com