Sketches, poems, musings of Soumitra Chatterjee to be published: Daughter Poulomi Basu

Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra
Chatterjee’s daughter Poulomi Basu on Tuesday announced that several sketches,
diary jottings and unpublished poems by the legendary Bengali artist
will be made public soon, reported PTI.

The upcoming publication
will contain drawn coloured sketches and musings recorded by Chatterjee during
the COVID-19 lockdown, reflecting his eagerness to return to routine
shoots after the coronavirus crisis halt, according to his daughter.

Also Read: A behemoth on silver screen, Soumitra Chatterjee’s lesser-known role as a cricket enthusiast

“He could not live
without work. During the lockdown period, he would get restive at times. I used
to tell him this (situation) is not in our hands. He was missing the life
during shoots. He had become more regular with writing diary during this phase.”
Poulomi was quoted as saying by PTI.

She further added that Chatterjee,
in one of his diary notes from July, had written that the late actor felt a constant
urge to give words to the thoughts he was experiencing during the phase in the
form of poetry.

“We wish to publish
my father’s last writings, scribbles, poems and sketches in the form of a book.
We want the average reader to know his way of thinking and do not want to keep
the contents in the closets of the family,” said Basu.

Basu also revealed
that the family might set up an archive to collect noted actor’s unchronicled work
created in the span of his illustrious career.

Also Read: Shared rare friendship with Soumitra Chatterjee, says actor Sharmila Tagore

Shedding light on further
details around the collection, Basu, who is also associated with theatre like
her father, said, “We also have plans to set up an archive where my father’s
unpublished poems, drawings and notes on copies of film scripts about certain
aspects of his characters will be kept in a proper manner.”

Chatterjee, who had hit
the shooting floor for a biopic in August and a documentary in September, died
on November 15 after losing a 40-day battle with post-COVID ailments at the age
of 85.

The actor, who possessed credits for over 300 films in a six
decade long career, had debuted with Satyajit Ray’s ‘Apur Sansar’ in 1959.

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