While the government gears up to quell rising Naxal-related violence, Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh and party MP from Rampur Jaya Prada are also expressing their take on Naxalism, but on the silver screen.

Singh and Jaya Prada have starred in a Bengali feature film by two-time national award winning filmmaker Ashoke Viswanathan on Naxalism — Sesh Sanghat (The Final Battle).

“I needed the experience of an actor like Jaya Prada and the authenticity of a politician like Amar Singh to communicate the issue,” said Viswanathan, 50, who was also the chairman of the jury for the non-feature film category at the 55th National Film Awards.

Sesh Sanghat is the story of a girl, Rajni (Jaya Prada) who is born in abject poverty. After she grows older, she is adopted by the mukhiya who is sympathetic to the cause of Naxals and uses her to carry out activities for them.

Revolving around issues like land ownership by adivasis and exploitation by landlords, Sesh Sanghat is a straightforward narrative about the plight of tribals in the poorest parts of the country.

Vishwanathan’s first film on Naxalism in 1994, Return to Zero dealt with the initial days of the Naxal uprising in the 70’s.

The film also stars Jackie Shroff, Victor Banerjee, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Raj Zutshi and Simone Singh.

While most of the shooting took place over the past one-and-a-half years in Purulia, Birbhum, Bankura, Midnapur and other districts of Bengal, Viswanathan said he initially had never intended to cast Amar Singh.

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