How Nandita-Shiboprosad’s 'summer collection' has become a hit among masses

Trust Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee to always weave their magic and treat the audience with something extraordinary. And this stands true not only for their movies but also for the music of the films.
Interestingly, all of their hit films were released in May. Summer has been fruitful for the director duo. But this year lockdown has affected the film industry in many ways as many film releases were stalled for an indefinite period.Among the films that did not release was also Nandita-Shiboprosad’s ‘Belashuru’.There are several interesting facts about the direct duo’s summer releases.

It all started with ‘Ramdhanu’, which marked its 6th anniversary recently, the first-ever film in Bengal to emphasize on child’s education and how its pressure can bog them down. Shiboprosad Mukherjee played one of the lead characters in the film, portraying the perfect Bengali husband and father. It was one of the first films to talk about modern-day parenting issues. Needless to say, it is relevant even after six years of its theatrical release.
With summer being a season that’s been always been looked upon, the filmmakers were skeptical about releasing their films amidst the scorching heat initially. Their films didn’t get proper shows at the theatres initially, but they started breaking box office records with their content and over the past few years the summer box office hasn’t disappointed them.

‘Belaseshe’, which became a blockbuster in 2015, is regarded as one of the major milestones in Bengali cinema which changed the way of modern storytelling. As Nandita-Shiboprosad decided to make a film on silver separation, many said, this won’t be a good idea. A film with an ‘old couple’ in the lead could have been disastrous. However, after the release, the film had a glorious run of 217 days in the multiplex. The director duo, who won’t compromise ever with content, didn’t ever look back.

The following year ‘Praktan’ released, which was again a hit among the masses. This time, with the onscreen power couple, Rituparna Sengupta and Prosenjit Chatterjee, ‘Praktan’ became one of the highest-grossing films in Tollywood’s history. The duo drew crowds to the theatres with two consecutive blockbusters and the legacy continued.

In the year 2017, they released ‘Posto’. The film featuring a cute little boy, Argha Basu Roy, along with Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Jishu Sengupta, Mimi Chakraborty and Lily Chakraborty in important characters, became a straightaway superhit film. Theatre owners were sceptical about the film as it was releasing alongside ‘Bahubali’. They even granted shows with one condition -- if the film failed to draw the crowd, the shows would go to the big-budget multilingual film. Interestingly, while no biggies could ever challenge the mighty ‘Bahubali’, the little ‘Posto’ did that with quite an ease. ‘Posto’ opened with houseful shows and all the debates were laid to rest.

Nandita and Shiboprosad Mukherjee are known for making films that touch million hearts. The year after ‘Posto’, they came up with ‘Haami’, with two little cute actors, Brata Banerjee as Bhutu and Tiyasha Paul as Chini. Bhutu and Chini became a sensation overnight. For the first time in Bengali cinema, a film with two little kids in the lead ruled box office for months. Haami ensured packed theatres for two months at a stretch. The film also marked the beginning of Haami Films, a wing from Windows, to produce films and contents for kids.

Up next was their dream project ‘Konttho’ in 2019. Much different from their usual family drama, the film talks about a radio jockey suffering from Laryngeal cancer. With such a serious topic, many were concerned about its theatrical success. On top of that, ‘Konttho’ was released amidst Lok Sabha election. But, beating all the odds, it hit the box office bull’s eye. ‘Konttho’ enjoyed packed houses even on the election day as well as on the day when results were declared.

Right from ‘Icche’, Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee’s summer releases have been a hit among masses. Unique content with terrific direction and outstanding performances are key ingredients of their success. No wonder, summer belongs to the director duo. This year the scheduled May release was ‘Belashuru’ that got postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, cine buffs are eagerly waiting for another ‘straight-outta-life’ content.