Dilip Guha ★ New Delhi : The Purba Diganta Foundation (PDF) organised the third edition of PDF SHORTS, Delhi’s premier Bengali short film festival. This vibrant celebration of storytelling and cinematic artistry took place at the Godavari Auditorium in New Delhi on August 17, 2025. In honour of the legendary Uttam Kumar, whose birth centenary is approaching, Purba Diganta Foundation hosted its annual short film festival titled “Aami Uttam.”
The organisation is the vision of Subhashish Gupta, Pushpol Banerjee, Arindam Mukherjee, Prabir Ghosh, and like-minded team members, and was founded with a deep commitment to uplifting marginalised children. Through their tireless efforts, the foundation provided access to education, nurtured artistic expression, and fostered cultural refinement—empowering young minds to dream beyond their circumstances. By fostering intellectual growth and promoting well-rounded development, PDF paves the way for every child to forge a bright future.
On the occasion, Subhashish Gupta said, “The foundation’s core mission is to uplift disadvantaged youngsters through scholastic and extracurricular enrichment. At its pioneering in Noida, twenty-two underprivileged students receive top-notch education, exemplifying the organisation’s dedication to accessible education”.
Purba Diganta Foundation believes in transcending boundaries to give back to society and strives to create a positive impact through our initiatives.
“Also, our mission is to celebrate Bengali culture, traditions, and artistic heritage through the power of cinema”. He added.
The festival welcomed an illustrious gathering of guests, including Sudhir Mishra, Devlina Kumar, Barun Chanda, Chandan Sen, Debshankar Halder, Reshmi Mitra, and popular television personality Sumona Chakravarti from The Kapil Sharma Show.
The day-long Function commenced with a solemn lamp-lighting ceremony, Dr Amitava Mukherjee, Dr. Saswata Dawn, Actor Debshanker Haldar, PDF President Prabir Ghosh, Shri Niladri Deb Choudhury and Pushpol Banerjee, and others.
This was followed by a set of inaugural songs dedicated to the legendary Uttam Kumar, performed by the Digantians. Each song was thoughtfully selected from iconic films featuring Uttam Kumar, paying heartfelt tribute to his cinematic legacy.
Next, A soulful performance by the students of Antarik, guided by Jhuma Roychowdhury, who has been working tirelessly with physically challenged children for over five years. The band Antarik- A talented group of specially-abled children redefining music with innovation, creativity, and passion—breaking barriers and inspiring through art. The children beautifully sang a selection of timeless classical film songs, touching every heart in the audience.
The Purba Diganta Foundation’s production, a documentary film on Uttam Kumar titled Ami Uttam, directed by Preetam Guha with a voice-over by Shri Shyamal Dutta, was screened and well appreciated by the viewers.
PDF SHORTS 3.0 dazzled audiences with a vibrant and diverse lineup of Bengali short films, celebrating cinematic excellence and cultural storytelling. Among the highlights was Sohochori, starring Moonmoon Sen and directed by Priyadarshi Banerjee, which captivated viewers with its emotional depth and nuanced performances.
Subhro Ghosal’s thought-provoking works Shaharaa and Bhalo Achi resonated deeply with the audience. Interview of Chandan Sen done by Suhan Basu and Interview of DebSankar Halder by Mridul Ghosh after screening of these films.
Discussion with Sumona Chakraborty and Reshmi Mitra was also held by Upasana Chatterjee
A major highlight of the event was the Delhi premiere of “Re Routing”, a critically acclaimed short film by Kankana Chakraborty that had already earned widespread recognition across film festivals and mainstream cinema circuits. Esteemed actor Barun Chanda and filmmaker Kankana Chakraborty personally presented the film to an enthusiastic Delhi crowd, marking a memorable moment in the festival’s journey. A Discussion on the film done with Kankana Chakraborty and Barun Chandra by Nilanjana Banerjee
Adding further brilliance to the lineup, the festival screened a powerful Hindi short film tour-de-force by legendary filmmaker Sudhir Mishra. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast including Chitrangada Singh, Vipin Sharma, and Sushant Singh, the film delivered an unforgettable cinematic experience that left a lasting impression on all who attended. Discussion with Sudhir Mishra by Manisha Bose, Students of Purbodoye school & skill center, and Binoy Nagar school actively took part in the Q&A session at the talk show.
The Sunday showcase, The Bangla thriller short film Okiagari, a poignant film starring Devlina Kumar, who is the grandson’s wife of the legendary actor Uttam Kumar, and directed by Samik Roy Chowdhury, is set in 1990s Kolkata. The story follows Daichi Dutta, a quiet and introspective lawyer in his late 30s who carries emotional scars from childhood bullying, largely due to his unusual name. Working under a celebrity lawyer at a prestigious firm, Daichi often finds himself emotionally triggered by cases involving divorce and child custody, as they remind him of his father’s quiet yet profound love. The self-righting doll becomes a metaphor for Daichi’s moral compass.
A discussion about the film after screening, lead actress Devlina Kumar, spoke with anchor, elocutionist, and newsreader Mouli Ganguly Bhattacharyya.
Devlina remarked that resilience is not just about survival but also about staying true to oneself. Like the Japanese Okiagari Koboshi doll, Daichi keeps rising even when faced with moral dilemmas. Although one might stumble and fall, he always manages to find a way to stand back up, even if it means stepping away from a corrupt system. She also shared some insights about Uttam Kumar’s family, highlighting their efforts to uphold the legacy of family traditions.
Beyond cinema, the Purba Diganta Foundation has made notable contributions over the past year across education, cultural engagement, health, and humanitarian efforts. Through its Purbouday School, PDF empowered 30 children with quality education, honoured academic achievers, organised health camps and artistic competitions, and launched social awareness campaigns like releasing the protest video Tilottama Bichar Chai, demanding justice for the rape of a lady doctor from RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata. Their winter outreach programs, festival celebrations, and collaborations with artists and performers have further strengthened their impact in underserved communities.
PDF SHORTS 3.0 was more than a showcase of cinematic brilliance—it was a stirring testament to the Foundation’s unwavering vision: to inspire minds, nurture empathy, and elevate communities through the transformative power of creativity, compassion, and culture.
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