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Nirjhar: Life and work of Dr. Tushar Guha   February 25, 2017 A documentary film ‘Nirjhar: the life and work of Dr. Tushar Guha’ was premiered at Little Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai on 5th January 2017. The film has been produced by Charushila Productions. Producer Charushila Samjiskar is a member of the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC). FTII alumni have been instrumental in putting the film together with director Ranjit Oraon, executive producer Prachi Ujjwal and creative producer Ujjwal Gawand.   The film is about 69 year old Dr. Tushar Guha – a  dancer par excellence, a guru and founder of Nrityanjali in 1963, when he was 15 years old. Nrityanjali is an institute of performing arts, education, personality development and management services based in Mumbai. The film delves into the journey he undertook, the ridicule he faced as a male dancer and how he overcame the pain and his sickness. Having trained in Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri and Kathakali in Kolkata, Dr. Tushar Guha has evolved his own creative style of dancing that is carried forward by his students. He is also adept at folk dances of India, having researched the same for 30 years. His pioneering work on Personality Development is titled, ‘Utilising the elements of performing arts in day to day life along with psychology to make a complete personality.’   Nirjhar keeps your faith going. It begins with a young boy at the seashore looking at waves and thinking beyond. This film depicts the very foundation of Dr. Tushar’s achievements. Right from his days of youth during which he formed the Cenray Children’s Club to the making of Nrityanjali. The film has interactions with a lot of people. Right from his family – his brothers, sisters-in-law, his wife, his daughter - to the people who have met  him during his journey, even few of the hundreds of students whom he has not only mentored but to whom he has given a new life altogether, have been featured in the film.  All these people have the same things to say about Dr. Tushar Guha. His students have described him differently but the underlying meaning remains the same. He has been described as Maa (Mother), giver, genius, complete personality, good human being, light, Shama (lamp that burns itself to give light), family, god, love…. Nirjhar shows how he conducts classes of Special Personality Development Courses, various dance forms, training programs and even plays which he personally has written. He believes that a person should try to explore various dimensions of self, must keep learning and teaching others to do the same. Dr. Guha is a multi dimensional personality - he is a dancer, writer, singer, a poet, corporate trainer, educationist, psychologist and even a great cook. The film has captured these moments from his life. The director and editor have done a marvelous job with the film because it is not easy to compress his multiple dimensions and vast expanse of his life in 90 minutes. The music, the scenic views and every small detail of the film is so perfect that it mesmerizes and even brings tears to one’s eyes.   The film depicts the very essence of Dr. Tushar’s life, his hardships, his commitments, and how he did what he loved doing. It’s a flashback of how he built his own path to success and achievements while taking everyone along. It’s a film that gives you hope to carry on. The creative producer Ujjwal Gawand rightly surmised, “A celebrity is not one, who is a hero amongst thousands. A celebrity is one who makes thousands heroes of their own lives. Dr. Tushar Guha is a celebrity who makes thousands, heroes of their own lives.”