Rinki Roy Bhattacharya is an Indian writer, columnist and documentary filmmaker. Daughter of film directorBimal Roy, she was married to Basu Bhattacharya and collaborated on his films. She is the Vice Chairperson of 'Children's Film Society of India' and the founder Chairperson of 'Bimal Roy Memorial & Film Society'. As a freelance journalist, she has been writing extensively on films, theatre, art and feminist issues, for publications like The Times group, The Telegraph, The Hindu and The Indian Express.
Biography
A Kolkata native, Rinki was born in 1942. She was the eldest daughter of the renowned Indian filmmaker, Bimal Roy. Her childhood was spent around prominent writers, poets and artists, who frequented their household, which was also noted for its gourmet Bengali cuisine. She began her career as a freelance journalist in 1966 and had articles published in The Economic Times, The Indian Express and many other periodicals. She made her debut into making documentary films with Char Divari, a documentary which deals with wife-beating, which was followed soon after by a sequel on related issues involving violence against women in India. She became deeply involved in the Women's Movement in India and has written several books on the subject, including Behind Closed Doors: Domestic Violence In India, Bimal Roy - A Man of Silence, Indelible Imprints, an essay in Uncertain Liaisons as well as several cookbooks. She also published a book on the making of the film, Madhumati, Bimal Roy's Madhumati: Untold Stories from Behind the Scenes.
Personal life
Rinki was married to the film director, Basu Bhattacharya, though after suffering domestic abuse, she walked out of her home in 1982, publicly, she came out in 1984, through an interview with journalist Madhu Kishwar in Manushi, the couple formally divorced in 1990. She successfully litigated against her mother and siblings for her share of her father's property. She lives in Bandra, Mumbai. She has a son Aditya Bhattacharya, film director, and two daughters, Chimmu and Anwesha Arya, a writer.
