Lookout for actor to play Jyoti Basu in ex-CM’s biopic
The Statesman | 10 June 2025
In a bid to celebrate 60 years of formation of the party, CPI-M is going to produce a biopic on former chief minister Jyoti Basu.
The party was set up in 1964 with nine politburo members. P Sundarayya was the general secretary of the party. The other members were Jyoti Basu, Promode Dasgupta, EMS Namboodripad, BT Randive, HK Surjeet, M Basupunnaiya, AK Gopalan and P Ramurthy. There were called the nine gems or navaratna.
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Jyoti Basu joined the CPI-M in the last minute. He was slightly hesitant to join the party as he has close friends like Bhupesh Gupta and Hiren Mukhrjee in the CPI. Basu took party membership in England where he had gone to become a barrister. In England, Basu had friends like Bhupesh Gupta, Firoz Gandhi, Siddhartha Shankar Ray and Indira Gandhi. He was the only person having a degree from England in CPI-M.
A senior CPI-M leader said the film will be produced by Jyoti Basu Research Centre. A search is on to find the artist who would play in the main role.
Basu became the chief minister in 1977 at the age of 63 years and continued till 2000, when he was 86 years old.
Basu had a long and colourful life. Son of a doctor, Nishikanta Basu, he became a labour leader after returning from England. He had travelled extensively in the country.
He was the leader of Opposition when Dr BC Roy was the chief minister. He was the undisputed leader of CPI-M, having a very good relationship with former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He maintained a very cordial relation with Congress leaders like Subrata Mukherjee and Somen Mitra.
All the important aspects of Basu’s life will be highlighted in the biopic. He had always put the party above his family. He was a lovable father and a more lovable grandfather. The film will put forward how from a labour leader Basu became the undisputed leader of the party.