Creative row erupts over Prosenjit’s latest project

Filmmaker Suman Ghosh has hit out at the makers of the Prosenjit Chatterjee-starrer Abhhiman, alleging that it had striking similarities with his unmade project. In an open letter posted on social media on Friday morning, Ghosh reveals that the story of his project revolved around a protagonist existing in two distinct phases of life.

“First, as a celebrated superstar at the peak of his fame, and later, as an ageing, physically and emotionally deteriorating man grappling with memory-related challenges,” he says, adding that he noticed an uncanny resemblance between the stories after he watched the teaser and trailer of Abhhiman.At the core of Ghosh’s allegations is Prosenjit Chatterjee, who, according to the filmmaker, has been in discussions with him about his project for nearly two-and-a-half years now.

“I had envisioned him as the protagonist from the very inception of the project,” he adds. In Abhhiman, Prosenjit portrays Akashi – a musician dealing with trauma and memory loss. While Ghosh acknowledged that he has not seen the film’s complete screenplay and that its story may be entirely different, he said his concerns stem from what he perceives as similarities in the central character arc and emotional journey.

He goes on to reveal that he had also sent an email to Prosenjit on June 17, clearly outlining the reasons behind his disappointment. Calling it a breach of professional trust and artistic integrity, Ghosh alleged that repeated attempts to contact the actor in recent times had gone unanswered. We firmly stand by the authenticity of our script: ProducersThe producers of Abhhiman responded to Ghosh’s allegations asserting that the film’s script is original.

“The core idea of the film was conceived by Jisshu U Sengupta, while the screenplay and dialogues were independently developed and written by Srijato Bandopadhyay and director Indraadip Daas Gupta. The project has evolved through a well-documented creative process, with all requisite registrations, records, and development materials in place through established industry and legal channels,” the producers said in a social media statement, adding, “While we respect the work and creative journeys of all filmmakers, we categorically affirm that the film is an original work created independently by its writers and makers.

We stand firmly by the authenticity of our script.”Prosenjit Chatterjee stated in a message on social media that he has the utmost respect for Suman as a filmmaker. “In our industry, creative lines often cross because we are all drawing from universal human emotions and themes. However, Abhhiman is a fully independent, legally registered project,” he added.I have no intention of pursuing legal action. But the matter raises broader questions about creative trust, professional responsibility and the ethics of sharing ideas within the industry – Suman Ghosh