Writer-Director Sujoy Ghosh Shares Durga Puja Memories, Recalls Filming ‘Kahaani’ In A Real Pandal In Kolkata

Sujoy Ghosh’s memories of Durga Puja are rooted in Kolkata and sleepless nights. “Usually, we went to bed early, so we could be up in time for school the next morning. But during these five days, we had the licence to stay up all night, hopping from one pandal to the next,” he reminisces.

The smell of bhog (prasad) from the parar (neighbourhood) puja —khichdi with peas and big potatoes—still tantalises his senses, as also the heady mix of street food— “from alu kabli (chickpeas and potatoes) to different kinds of cutlets and rolls” —which was otherwise out of bounds “because we had no money to splurge, and convincing parents to buy us junk food was a near impossible task the rest of the year”. To this day, the writer-producer-director is grateful for Maa Durga’s annual visit to her maika (maternal home) with her children Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi and Saraswati. “It always put the elders in a good mood and ensured we kids had a good time,” he chuckles.

Sujoy went to university in the UK, and while Durga Puja is celebrated with as much fervour there, since they didn’t get any holiday, he had to wait till the weekend to round up a few friends, pool money to hire a car, and drive around. “Puja there is usually hosted in a temple or in the community centre. They may lack the pomp and show of Kolkata, the blaring music and the dazzling lights, but they feel more personal. They are more like a gharoa puja (home worship) than community worship,” says the probashi Bangali (Bengali living outside the state) who grew up watching his mother and wife worship the different Gods in their home every single day of the year.          

He went back to  Kolkata during the festival to film Kahaani, an intriguing 2012, National Award-winning thriller. They made the film in 64 days, shooting guerilla-style on the streets, in Metro stations, the tram depot and even in a real pandal. “Since we didn’t have the budget to recreate Durga Puja on screen, we took permission from Ballygunge Cultural to film everything through those five days. The people, the crowds, the ritual of sindoor khela (smearing vermillion) were real, with an incredibly brave Vidya Balan in their midst. It was gruelling, but a fun shoot!” Sujoy asserts,

In the climax, the pregnant protagonist, Vidya Bagchi, after a stunning plot twist, disappears into a sea of women wearing white sarees with red borders.

Rooted in Bengal’s traditional culture and the ritual of sindoor khela on Bijoya or Dussehra (tenth day), this fashion choice, passed down through generations, has since become synonymous with Durga Puja, a symbol of femininity and piety, divine grace and strength.

The filmmaker recalls filming the scene in one long shot, early in the morning, after a long night, with everyone almost drooping from exhaustion, but carrying on like real troopers.

Visarjan—the immersion of the idol in the river Ganga—was an unforgettable experience. “Many of the organisers, who were part of the procession, had, for months, been planning the Puja and taking it forward seamlessly. They were overwhelmed while bidding farewell to Maa, many of them moved to tears. Even today, I can feel those emotions, so intense and real, expressing themselves through smiles and tears, rituals and revelry, that we managed to capture for posterity on camera,” Sujoy recounts.

In Satyajit Ray’s 1979 Bengali film, Joi Baba Felunath, PI Pradosh C. Mitter a.k.a. Feluda, his cousin Tapesh a.k.a. Topshe, and the famous author Lalmohan Ganguly a.k.a. Jatayu, solve the mystery behind the attempted theft of a priceless Ganesh idol when vacationing in Varanasi during Durga Puja. In Rituparno Ghosh’s National Award-winning Utsab, matriarch Bhagabati’s two sons and two daughters arrive at the family home with their children for Durga Puja and long-buried secrets, simmering emotional undercurrents, come to the surface. Will Sujoy make another film on Durga Puja? “If I can find the right kahaani, sure, but these things can’t be forced. I need a story first that naturally plays out against the backdrop of the annual festival,” he signs off, still unsure whether to bring in Durga Puja this year in Mumbai or fly to Kolkata.

Published on: Sunday, October 18, 2026, 08:45 AM IST