Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 13 (ANI): Filmmaker Sudipto Sen, best known for his films 'The Kerala Story', and 'The Last Monk', recently visited the Nova Festival Massacre Site in Israel during an official outreach programme.

After returning to Mumbai, Sudipto sat down with ANI and shared his experience visiting the Nova Massacre site.

'Though I have come back last night to my country, my heart is still there with the roads and lanes of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jaffa, and my heart is still aching. I am still overwhelmed by the emotions I felt when we visited the Nova site near the Gaza enclave, where the ghastly massacre took place on October 7, 2023,' he said.

He also shared that he met several family members of those who lost their lives in the massacre.

'I met the mothers, sisters and brothers of the victims. The mothers recounted harrowing accounts of how their children were cut into pieces. One mother told me that her young daughter was placed inside a washing machine and the switch was turned on nearby. I also met a mother whose son was beheaded in front of her. One sister described how her younger sister, her husband and their children were killed. These are stories that are extremely difficult to accept, or even to absorb,' Sudipto Sen said.

Sudipto Sen was left deeply shaken after hearing the horrific stories.

'As a filmmaker, I'm an extremely emotional person, and I think it will take a long time for me to return to normalcy. I am mentally very disturbed. It was not a very simple time and I think I will be a different person after I come out of this situation,' he said.

Over the past year, the site of the massacre - a remote location just a few miles from the Gaza perimeter - has been turned into a memorial.

Instead of the vast open space, there are now hundreds of near-identical cenotaphs, each featuring the name and a picture of a victim, as per CNN.

Sen also participated in the high-profile Jerusalem Sessions, interacting with leading Hollywood and global filmmakers. His visit included a prayer at the Wailing Wall, where he reflected on peace, compassion, and the moral responsibility of storytellers. (ANI)