Raktabeej poster launched on Independence Day

Raktabeej, as it is titled, is a taut thriller and a first of its kind by renowned director duo Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee. Inspired by the Burdwan blast in 2014, which shook up Bengal and also the nation, the film is about the homecoming of a man, who holds an important portfolio, and how an accidental blast in a firecracker unit unveils a bigger threat to his life. On the occasion of Independence Day, the main poster of the film, marking the countdown to Durga Puja 2023.

Victor Banerjee, who is known to have worked with Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Shyam Benegal, is playing the lead in the film, which also stars Anasua Majumdar, Abir Chatterjee, Mimi Chakraborty, Kanchan Mallick, Ambarish Bhattacharya, Satyam Bhattacharya, Debasish Mondal, Devlina Kumar and others.

On 2 October 2014, which coincided with Mahashtami that year, an explosion took place in a two- storeyed building in the Khagragarh locality of Burdwan. Locals informed the police, who sprang into immediate action. When the police arrived, two women inside the building stopped them from entering, threatening to blow up the building and destroy several documents and evidence. They were arrested and the police recovered more than 50 improvised explosive devices in that house. An unforgettable incident, it still has Bengal reeling under its impact.

“Raktabeej is a film set in the backdrop of Durga Puja. The poster introduces the protagonists, who are seen in the backdrop of the tri-coloured flag. It is symbolic of their courage, conviction and determination. Each has a goal. Below, there’s a big rally. Now the question is – who are the masked men in the Durga Puja rally? We’ll let it unveil only on the big screen,” said Shiboprosad.

Talking about his character in the film, Abir said, “Raktabeej has been one of the most challenging films for me. This is the first time I worked in Nandita di and Shibu da’s direction. Everyone worked very hard for this one. I enjoyed doing all the stunts by myself and also, Mimi has been very supportive throughout. We have given our best, this is just the first look of the film, I hope everyone likes it”.