"Parabasi: A Cinematic Tribute to Memory, Migration and Resilience"

Prasanta Chakraborty

February 25, 2026   

For Anil Debnath, the Partition was never a remote historical event confined to textbooks. It was a lived legacy of pain—carried in the memories of his parents and etched into his own childhood experiences. What began as an attempt to preserve those memories in the form of a novel eventually evolved into a full-fledged film project driven by emotion and responsibility.

The transformation from page to screen came after a close friend, a school teacher from Teliamura, read the manuscript. Deeply moved by its emotional intensity and historical relevance, he advised Debnath to consider cinema as a more powerful medium. A film, he argued, could transcend geographical and linguistic boundaries and communicate the story to a far wider audience.

Taking the suggestion to heart, Debnath—an established businessman from Agartala—decided that the story deserved a larger canvas. For him, the project was more than a creative experiment; it was an obligation to history. He felt a pressing need to remind younger generations of the immense suffering endured by their forefathers during and after the Partition—displacement from ancestral homes, the trauma of sudden exile, fractured identities, and the uncertainty that shadowed countless families.

Thus was born Parabasi, his debut film, which released in several theatres across West Bengal on February 20. The response was deeply emotional. Many viewers were seen leaving the halls in tears, describing the film as a rare and sincere attempt to revisit a painful chapter of history in an era dominated by commercial storytelling.

Structured as a docu-drama, Parabasi centres on Nimai Babu, a school teacher and former freedom fighter living in East Pakistan. Confident in the affection and respect of his Muslim students, he believes his family is safe despite the growing unrest. That belief collapses one evening when a former student arrives with a group and orders him to vacate his home overnight. Forced to flee with nothing, Nimai Babu and his family begin a perilous journey across the border into Tripura.

Amid the chaos, he loses his daughter, only to find her later, married to a Muslim man and converted. The revelation is heartbreaking, yet his daughter’s quiet assertion—that conversion is preferable to death—captures the harsh choices imposed by survival.

The family eventually reaches a remote village in Tripura, largely inhabited by indigenous tribal communities. Welcomed with warmth and generosity, Nimai Babu resumes his vocation, teaching the children of the village. But as waves of refugees continue to arrive, tensions begin to surface. The indigenous community grows anxious about losing its land, livelihood and cultural identity. The narrative thus expands beyond a single family’s tragedy to explore the complex layers of migration, belonging and coexistence.

The making of Parabasi was itself a challenging journey. Shooting in difficult terrain, a remote island in the Damboor lake, required equipment to be brought in from outside the state, even from Kerala. Technicians and artistes from Kolkata have spoken highly of Debnath’s dedication and hands-on involvement in the project. Many also praised the care and respect he extended to the entire team during production.

The film is scheduled to be screened at Rupasi Multiplex from February 27, 2026. The cast and crew hope audiences in Tripura will turn out in large numbers to support a film that seeks not only to narrate history but to preserve memory.

At its heart, Parabasi is not just a cinematic venture. It is a personal testimony, a tribute to resilience, and a reminder that the wounds of Partition still echo across generations.

Roles Behind the Making of Parabasi

Bringing Porobasi to life was a collective effort shaped by a dedicated team of filmmakers, technicians and performers:

• Director: Monet Roy Saha
• Producer & Story: Anil Debnath
• Co-producer: Sujata Debnath
• Cinematographer: Jayesh Nair
• Screenplay: Anil Debnath and Amitava Bhattacharjee

Lead Cast:
Loknath Dey, Kinjal Nanda, Swati Mukherjee, Sobuj Bardhan, Ankhi Ghosh (Kolkata), Ranjita Borua (Assam), Sanjoy Kar, Supriti Ghosh, Binod Debbarma, Ruma Debbarma, Ruhi Debbarma and Ajoy Tripura (Tripura).

• Music Director: Amit Chatterjee
• Art Director: Jayanta Chowdhury
• Playback Singers: Shaan, Durnibar Saha, Iman Mukherjee, Mekhla Dasgupta and Ikkshita Mukherjee
• Sound Design & Mixing: Subhranil Bose
• Post-production: Studio Collage

Together, this team shaped Parabasi into a collaborative cinematic effort rooted in history, memory and artistic commitment.

   (Tripurainfo)

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