Upcoming Bengali movie Muktodhara is in the news for many reasons. The most interesting thing about Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy’s Muktodhara is that an ex-convict and prisioner, Nigel Akkara is performing in the leading role in the movie.
Shiboprosad Mukherjee directed Bengali movie Muktodhara will be released in 2012 and shooting of the movie is going on. Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta is in the lead female role in Bengali movie Muktodhara. The other artists in Bengali movie Muktodhara are Bratya Basu, Kharaj Mukherjee and Nigel Akkara.
Nigel Akkara is not a known face in Bengal movie industry so the question arises, Who is Nigel Akkara?
Nigel Akkara - The Dacoit Transformed Into A Saint
Nigel Akkara aka Vicky is 32 years old and post graduate in human rights. Nigel Akkara is a ex-student of St Xavier’s College, Kolkata. Nigel spent nine years behind the bars as he was arrested on 17 charges against him. The charges were kidnapping, extortionand murder of a Kolkata businessman. Nigel akkara, once a dreaded criminal is now a completely changed man.
Nigel Akkara was born on August 13, 1978 in a middle class Christian family in Kolkata. Nigel was a student of St Xavier’s School, Kolkata and during his school days he took keen interest in sports. Nigel Akkara lost his father when he was only eight years old. Nigel’s father died in a road accident.
Nigel akkara entered the world of crime at an early age, when he was 15 years old. At that time Nigel Akkar found glamour in criminal life. Power, money were the other motivating factors for Nigel Akkara in criminal life. When in College, Nigel Akkara formed a gang and all types of crime was performed by Nigel. West Bengal police was in search of Nigel Akkara and ultimately in December of 2000, he was arrested.
During the initial 6 years in prison, Nigel Akkara was the same as he was before the arrest and convicted. Nigel Akkara even tried to escape from the prison. Changes in Nigel Akkara started from 2007 when eminent Odissi dancer Alokananda Roy stepped inside Kolkata’s Presidency Jail with a mission to impart Culture Therapy to the prisoners there. Initially Nigel Akkara had doubt over the motive of Alokananda Roy but lastly he also like many other convicvts surrendered to Alokananda Roy and her therapy. Since the end of 2007, Nigel Akkara is performing on stage under the guidance of Alokananda Roy.
Since the end of 2008, Nigel Akkara started performing as Valmiki in Tagore’s dance drama Valmiki Pratibha under the direction of Alokananda Roy. So far many stage shows of Valmiki Pratibha has been performed and during this time the actual transformation of Nigel Akkara started. The man, once a dreaded criminal learned to cry. The applause and accolades of the audience at each of his stage performance compelled him to think about his past. Nigel Akkara discovered the good man inside him. Nigel's agression and violent nature gradually came down and soon he found himself in a reformed shape. Due to his change in behavior, Nigel Akkara got his sentence reduced. All these became possible due to Nigel Akkara’s new mother Alokananda Roy.
In one of such Alokananda Roy directed Valmiki Pratibha show at Shantiniketan where all the artists were prisoners, Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy liked the idea. Since then they were planning for a Bengali movie where the idea of Alokananda Roy’s music therapy for convicts will be impleted. Bengali movie Muktodhara is the outcome of such planning of Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy. Nigel Akkara was their choice when they saw Nigel for the first time in Valmiki Pratibha at Shantiniketan.
Nigel Akkara is now self employed and now runs his own security agency named Kolkata Facilities Management for ex-convicts. Nigel’s company helps many ex-convicts to come back in main stream society.
