Ahana (The Light Within), the debut Bengali feature film by director Promita Bhowmik, is selected to compete at the Bengali Panorama Section of the prestigious 30 th Kolkata International Film Festival 2024.
Ahana starring Sudipta Chakraborty, Joy Sengupta, Saumya Sengupta and Priyabrata Sen Sarkar is the story of a female writer meandering through career milestones, marital discords, and social taboos. Promita, the director of the film, is also the name behind the story, screenplay, and dialogues.
Joy Sengupta in a still from Ahana
The film depicts a journey of a woman in a patriarchal society and her struggle to preserve her identity and reach the destination of her choice. The storyline touches upon the sensitive but critical issue of male infertility and its impact on an individual in Indian society.
“Ahana (Sudipta), the title character, is a creative young author who symbolizes the essence of womanhood. Ahana moves from darkness to light. She transcends all the identities society thrusts on her to finally be what she wants to be. She frees herself from the shackles of norms and expectations to live and face life on her own terms in her search for identity and self-discovery,” said the director.
