Bengali films used to be the 'pride' of India for their content and creativity, said young director Subhrajit Mitra, who is all set to debut into the film industry with Bengali movie Aagunpakhi - The Phoenix.

The 'first look' of Bengali movie Aagunpakhi - The Phoenix starring popular Bengali actors Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Rituparna Sengupta was unveiled here Friday night.

Writer and director Subhrajit Mitra, who used to make documentaries in north Bengal and films for the ONGC, says "While working there, I saw the plight of the people up close. That is what prompted me to bring it forward"

On being asked if the film might incite discord and unrest, Mitra says, "The film does not justify extremism, it merely provides an unbiased portrayal of the lives of these people; it's a humanitarian story on why they had to take up weapons."

With the increasing unrest in the Naxal areas of West Bengal this film speaks of a subject that is all too relevant today thinks the young director.

Mitra says, "We had gruelling 32-day-long single schedule shoot with a 150-strong-unit in the jungles of West Midnapore and other parts of North Bengal for this movie and had to face all kinds of problems while shooting, but it was a very rewarding experience."

Produced by Ranadeb Paul and Pratik Sen of Mindscape Maestros, the film's plot revolves around the violent unrest in the jungles of north Bengal where villagers have taken up weapons.

Mitra speaks of the difficulties they had in convincing other producers until finally the Maestros team stepped in.

He says "Bengali films used to be the pride of India, known for their content and creativity; today we are merely copying Hindi and south Indian films and these movies are being called 'superhits'. That needs to change."

The film, made with a budget of around Rs. 2.5 crores, shows the experiences of a documentary film maker amidst a group of armed rebels.

Actress Rituparna says, "While doing Mon Aamar, Raja (Subhrajit) discussed the movie with me, I was immediately hooked but I also realised how difficult it was going to be to make this film.'

"But things worked out, it was great experience and a very challenging one at that. I never thought I'd be doing something like this, " she said.

The film's music director, Kalyan Sen Barat says, "The films features the fusion of sound and music; drawing inspiration from folk, symphony and Rabindrasangeet, it creates a haunting melody that complements the film.'

This being their first venture into film production, Mindscape Maestros is tight lipped about their future projects but they did tell that they are looking to make 'content-driven cinema' and their next project is Hindi film, also on a social issue.

The producers said the film, which is yet to be censored, is looking for a release after the Indian Premier League season gets over.