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

Whether it’s the Bengal connection with this year’s International Film Festival of India, updates about Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s next film and ‘Professor Shanku O El Dorado’; it was a week full of rumors 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.

It’s been almost two years since Sandip Ray directed ‘Professor Shonku O El Dorado’ was announced, since then everyone was eagerly waiting for Professor Shonku, Satyajit Ray’s iconic creation to come alive on celluloid. Finally the wait is over as the sci-fi adventure flick produced by Svf is set for Christmas release. It will hit the theatres on December 20. The film is based on Ray’s story ‘Nakurbabu O El Dorado’. Seasoned actor Dhritiman Chatterjee who has previously acted in many films directed by both Satyajit and Sandip Ray, is playing the lead Professor Trilokeshwar Shonku. Shubhashis Mukhopadhyay will be seen as Nakur Babu.

The golden jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will honour some of Indian cinema's iconic names who left us in recent years. The homage section, IFFI Remembers, will screen filmmaker Mrinal Sen's classic ‘Bhuvan Shome’ (1969) and Grish Karnad's ‘Kanooru Heggadithi’ (1999). Actress Vidya Sinha's ‘Rajnigandha’ (1974), Assamese actor Biju Phukan's ‘Aparoopa’ (1982) and actress-singer Ruma Guha ‘Thakurta's Ganashatru’ (1990), directed by Satyajit Ray, will also be screened in this section. Rajkumar Barjatya's blockbuster ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’ (1994) is also a part of the special section.

Buddhadeb Dasgupta whose latest directorial ‘Urojahaj’ was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival recently has already started working on his next film and it revolves around a female journalist. “My film will address the problems that plague us every day. The film is on a woman journalist and deals with the problems she faces at her workplace. She can’t function the way she wants and file reports accordingly. This affects her personal life too,” revealed the acclaimed filmmaker. While Chandan Roy Sanyal plays the male lead in the film, search for the female lead is still on. “In today’s world, men enjoy certain benefits. But a woman doesn’t get them. She has to struggle. I am writing the film now. I will be busy till Urojahaj releases and then I will complete the script and will shoot in February and complete it by March,” adds Buddhadeb Dasgupta.

The third edition of ‘Bongo Probashi Milap’ 2019 will soon enthrall the Bengalis in Dubai. The event is the brainchild of actor Pallavi Chatterjee. The two-day carnival mainly focuses on the Bengali diaspora in UAE. The event explores, showcases and promotes critically acclaimed Bengali films, short films, music, art and culture. Four Bengali films ‘Gumnaami’, ‘Satyanweshi Byomkesh’, ‘Mitin Mashi’ and ‘Mukhomukhi’ will be screened at the event on 6th December. There will be a musical evening on December 7 apart from an exhibition and meet and greet with the celebrities.

Her phone didn’t stop ringing after the poster was launched. And now, camera has started rolling for Ritabhari Chakraborty’s upcoming film ‘Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti’ which marks the directorial debut of Aritra Mukherjee. Ritabhari will be seen opposite Soham Majumder. ‘Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti’ talks about breaking taboos. It shows the protagonist holding all things related to idol worship in one hand and in the other hand, she is holding a sanitary pad, a painkiller, a hot water bag and other things that a girl needs during her periods. Produced by Windows, it’s a fun movie and not at all preachy.

Debojyoti Mishra will be composing the background score of Bangladeshi director Fakhrul Arefeen Khan’s upcoming film ‘Gondi’ which is under post-production now. The acclaimed musician will also direct the music for one of the songs in the film. "I like the story of the film. Towards the end of last year, Fakhrul Arefeen Khan shared the film’s story with me, and afterwards I agreed to do the background score. I hope I can give the audience something really good,” said Debojyoti Mishra while speaking about his association with ‘Gondi’. In the film, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty plays a 65-year-old man opposite Bangladeshi actress Suborna Mustafa. The first part of the film has been shot in London while the second part was shot in Cox's Bazar.

We will soon relive the world of Apu, the iconic character of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Apu Trilogy’, in Subhrajit Mitra’s ‘Avijatrik - The Wanderlust of Apu’. It’s Arjun Chakrabarty who will essay Apu. In this film, Apu will relive his childhood through the eyes of his son, visiting Benaras and his village Nischindipur. And now, after being shot in Benaras, Gorubathan, Taki, Bolpur and Kolkata, it’s a wrap for the period film and to celebrate it recently the cast and crew were spotted in a grand wrap up party. Seasoned actor Sabyasachi Chakraborty will portray the role of Apu’s globetrotter friend. The cast of ‘Abhijatrik’ has already made everyone buzzing about the film. Arpita Chatterjee will be seen as Leela, Sreelekha Mitra plays Ranu di, Ditipriya Roy as Aparna and Sohag Sen playing Ranu’s elder sister, among others essaying key roles.