COURTESY: AAJ TAK BANGLA
Prosenjit Chatterjee is set to star in Devi Chowdhurani, the first Bengali pan-India film, with Bollywood action director Sham Kaushal planning stunts.
Regional films have gained importance in recent years, with the success of South Indian films demonstrating that a compelling tale has pan-India appeal. Encouraged by this, director Subhrajit Mitra is attempting his first pan-India Bengali film, Devi Chowdhurani, based on Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel of the same name. Bengali superstars Prosenjit Chatterjee, Srabanti Chatterjee, and Sabyasachi Chakrabarty star in the big-budget historical drama, with Bollywood action director Sham Kaushal developing the stunts.
Avijatrik (2021), by Subhrajit Mitra, who received the National Award for Best Bengali Feature Film, says his period drama is inspired as much by Chattopadhyay’s novel as it is by real facts. “In the later part of the 18th century, the novel narrates the journey of a village girl who eventually becomes the first Indian woman freedom fighter,” he explains. Bhavani Charan Pathak led India’s first armed revolt against the East India Company. ” He could only see Prosenjit as Pathak, a Hindu monk who took up arms to rescue his land, when telling the story.
According to the superstar, being a part of the great period drama was a no-brainer. He was fascinated with the film’s staging and visualisation. This is a large-scale project. He hopes that by doing so, Bengali films will reach new heights. Chakrabarty, who plays Zamindar Haraballabh Rai, the guy who starts the series of events, says he wanted to be associated with the script after reading it.
Director Mitra claims that it will be the most expensive Bengali film to date and that the main shot will take place after the monsoon. The film will be shot in Bengali and dubbed in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, among other languages. Kaushal is naturally enthusiastic about his first Bengali project.