Documentary film: Salute Sundarbans as the ‘superhero’, the protector of the city of Kolkata

Had it not been the Sundarbans standing in the way, the devastation to the city of Kolkata would have been much more. That’s the message the documentary seeks to spread.

In the director’s own words, “This film directed by me and produced by RoundGlass Sustain, made a couple of months ago, hails the Sundarbans as the Superhero we owe our survival to in this part of the world. The horrific devastation of #cyclone #amphan we recently witnessed in Bengal, was a mere fraction of what would have hit Calcutta had it not been for a natural wall of defence that stood between the city and absolute annihilation.”

“The Sundarbans is our first and greatest wall of defence against nature's fury. Without a healthy Sundarbans, there will be no Calcutta. Simple. So there's never been a better time to salute its role in our survival.

Kapur makes a simple request. Share it with friends and show it to young children and students, because ‘the future is theirs and their knowledge will be the real game changer.’

And this from the producer: The world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, lies in the path of cyclones born in the Bay of Bengal. Its hardy mangroves stand like green guards along its coast battling raging winds and waves. But the frequency of storms has increased with climate change. Amphan is one of the deadliest cyclones the region has seen.

We made this film before Amphan, the super cyclone, ripped through this region. As the forest, its inhabitants and surrounding villages struggle to survive during a global pandemic, we hope this film reminds us why we need to safeguard this sensitive ecosystem now more than ever.