Weekend roundup: Bengali celebs and films which made headlines this week

Whether it’s the first poster of ‘Satyanweshi Byomkesh’, Arifin Shuvoo’s unfortunate departure from ‘Abhijatrik’, Raj-Subhashree’s viral marriage anniversary video, reports of a Hindi biopic of RD Burman or Dev starrer ‘Kidnap’ trailer’s release date; it was a week full of rumours and exciting news from the Tollywood industry. Here is a quick look at Bengali cinema's some of the most exciting news from this week.

After Abir Chatterjee and Jisshu Sengupta, it’s time for Parambrata Chatterjee to don the character of Byomkesh Bakshi. Directed by ‘Jawker Dhan’ and ‘Alinagarer Golokdhadha’ fame filmmaker Sayantan Ghoshal, the new film on the iconic sleuth ‘Satyanweshi Byomkesh’ will have Parambrata as Satyanweshi, while Rudranil Ghosh will be seen as his friend and close associate Ajit Bandyopadhyay. Based on Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's popular story ‘Magna Mainak’, the detective thriller will no doubt throw a fresh challenge to not only Sayantan but Param also. The first look of ‘Satyanweshi Byomkesh’ was released recently introducing the two protagonists Byomkesh and Ajit on the backdrop of a new dawn. Initially Parmabrata was supposed to direct the film as well. But, later Sayantan Ghoshal was roped in to don the director’s hat. We all know Sayantan has already directed a web series on Byomkesh.

Young actor Amartya Roy whose recent Hindi film ‘22 Yards’ received critical acclaims has bagged yet another big project from Bollywood. Sources close to the development claim the talented actor has been roped in for ‘Badhai Ho’ director Amit Sharma’s upcoming football film. Amartya will be seen as the legendary Indian footballer Chuni Goswami in his early days. The sports biopic is based on the golden era of Indian football from 1951 to 1962 and the life of India's iconic football coach Syed Abdul Rahim who was a coach and manager of the Indian national football team will be crucial to the narrative. Ajay Devgan is set to play the famous football coach’s role.

Souradip Banerjee is all set for his second directorial 'Korapak' which stars Paayel Sarkar and Sourav Das in the lead. It’s a romantic comedy which shows if one is true to his emotions and whether love survives despite the distance. Beside Sourav and Paayel, the film also has Anindya Chatterjee, Rii and others. Giving a peek into the storyline the director revealed the story revolves around Dev and Priya who meet accidentally and fall for each other in no time. But here lies a twist; the couple has a problem between them. They can’t decide about their future together and whether they really feel for each other. So, Dev and Priya plan to stay away from each other for six months to find out where they stand. It’s a sweet romantic story which explores the issue of commitment phobia.

Bangladeshi actor Arifin Shuvoo who was supposed to play Apu in Subharajit Mitra’s upcoming ‘Abhijatrik – Wanderlust of Apu’ has now been replaced due to ‘political reasons’. Many believe the ‘political reasons’ mentioned is related to an earlier incident where Arifin’s fellow Bangladeshi actors Ferdous and Gazi Abdul Noor had campaigned for two different political parties ahead of the ongoing Loksabha elections. The ministry of home affairs had sent both the actors back to Bangladesh for violating visa rules and also blacklisted them. Director Subhrajit and the producers of the film Gaurang Films later released an official statement confirming the news. However, it’s yet to be known who will replace Arifin to play the iconic character of Apu.

Raj Chakraborty and Subhashree Ganguly are one of the most happening couples in Tollywood right now. Recently the lovey-dovey couple celebrated their first marriage anniversary and as Raj had earlier said they will celebrate the occasion only in presence of a few relatives and close friends, it turned out to be a closed door celebration party last weekend. A series of videos recently sent the social media into a tizzy with some cute and adorable moments from the party. You can see Raj and Subhashree having a gala time while cutting cakes, posing with their pet, showing crazy dance steps.

Prosenjit Chatterjee has already said that his last year release ‘Kishore Kumar Junior’ will soon have a Hindi remake. A popular production house from Mumbai has shown interesting in making a Hindi version of the Kaushik Ganguly directorial with the same star cast. And now, here’s another big news. Not only ‘Kishore Kumar Junior’, Prosenjit Chatterjee’s home production Nideas has partnered with a Mumbai production house to make a biopic on music legend R D Burman. The biopic will largely be based on Khagesh Dev Burman’s book ‘R D Burman – The Prince of Music’. Talks are already on about the casting for this film. However, it’s still to be decided whether it will be released at theatres or digitally.

Pratim D Gupta’s last directorial ‘Ahare Mon’ took the box office by storm last year receiving appreciation from all corners. Now, Pratim is all set for his next which is a thriller. The film’s working title was ‘Ink’ but now we hear it will be changed ahead of its theatrical release. If all goes according to plan, the thriller will hit the theatres in August. Ritwick Chakraborty and Paoli will play the leads in this thriller. While Ritwick will be seen as the journalist, noted director Goutam Ghose will essay out his editor’s role. The film also has Ambarish Bhattacharya, Shankar Chakraborty and Satarupa Ghosh in key roles.

We all know Dev’s next ‘Kidnap’ sheds light on the burning issue of women trafficking. The action thriller, releasing this Eid, has already garnered a lot of appreciation, especially the romantic song ‘Oi Dakche Akash’ featuring Dev and Rukmini Maitra. Fans are now eagerly waiting for the official trailer. When will it hit the social media? Well, the wait will soon be over. The much awaited ‘Kidnap’ trailer will be released on May 19. The action thriller, produced by Surinder Films, is slated for a Eid release on June 6 which means there will be massive box office clash with Jeet starrer ‘Shesh Theke Shuru’ and Salman Khan’s ‘Bharat’. A source close to the development says, ‘Kidnap’ was supposed to release on Auguest 15 but later the decision was changed.

Indraadip Das Gupta’s directorial debut ‘Kedara’ has received appreciation from all corners travelling a number of international film festivals. It was an official selection at Chennai Film Festival. It will also be screened at the ongoing Habitat International Film Festival. And now, ‘Kedara’ has been selected at the Ottawa Indian Film Festival in completion section as the only Bengali film. The critically acclaimed film will be screened at the Imagine India Film Festival in Madrid as well on May 27. ‘Kedara’ sees Kaushik Ganguly and Rudranil Ghosh playing the lead.

Rahul Banerjee, who was last seen in Indrasis Acharya’s critically acclaimed ‘Pupa’, is set to play the lead in ‘Jadu Kadai’. The film directed by Megdut Rudra chronicles around Bikram Sen, an accountant, who wants to be a chef and open his own restaurant but couldn't follow his dream for his rigid family. He lives an average and boring life, until one day, when he buys a magical wok (Kadai). The fantasy element changes his life forever.