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Updated: Aug 28, 2019 22:54 IST

Ahead of the October release of a Bengali film titled Gumnaami that explores different theories surrounding Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, members of the freedom fighter’s family criticised the film labelling it as an insult to the great leader.

It is commonly believed that Netaji died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945.

“Why is a film being made on a cock and bull story? It amounts to insulting Netaji,” said historian Sugato Bose and grand-nephew of Subhas Chandra Bose. His mother Krishna Bose, who is also a former Trinamool Congress MP also echoed him. Both objected to the name ‘Gumnaami’ which is derived from Gumnami Baba, one of the men seen in free India and believed to be the freedom fighter in disguise by a section of Bose’s followers.

On Wednesday, as many as 33 members Bose’s family issued a statement saying that the effort to suggest that Gumnami Baba was Netaji was maligning him.

Also read:People have right to know about Netaji’s disappearance: Mamata Banerjee

“A book titled Conundrum and the film Gumnaami are both a part of the effort to malign Netaji. A DNA test conducted in 2005 conclusively proved that Gumnami Baba was not Netaji,” said Chandra Kumar Bose, a grandnephew of Netaji.

Chandra Bose also said handwriting experts did not find any similarity in the writings of the freedom fighter and Gumnami Baba.

Bose family members also objected to the fact that in Gumnaani actor Prasenjit Chatterjee is playing Netaji as well the other characters assumed to be Bose in disguise.

“We expressed our opposition to the film a few weeks ago. Therefore, we did not repeat it in Wednesday’s statement. But let me say, we are all opposed to the film,” said Abhijit Roy, grandson of Sarat Bose, Netaji’s elder brother.

Srijit Mukherji, director of Gumnaami, defended his project. “All promotional materials mention that the film is based on the Mukherjee Commission report that probed the plane crash and incidents that took place thereafter.”

Incidentally, the Mukherjee Commission which was set up in 1999 and which submitted its report to the government in 2005, mentioned that there was no clinching evidence to prove that Bose died in the crash.

Two other commissions - the Shahnawaz committee of 1956 and Khosla Commission of 1970 had also

investigated what happened to Netaji on August 18, 1945.

The statement of the Bose family also alleged that a private organisation, Mission Netaji led by Anuj Dhar and Chandrachur Ghose, was carrying out a sinister campaign saying Netaji was Gumnami Baba.

“I refute all allegations. I started working on Netaji and Gumnami Baba in 2001 as a journalist. I stand by my findings that Gumanmi Baba was Netaji,” said Anuj Dhar.