Saswata shoots for Indo-Danish film!

He straddles

Tollywood

and Bollywood with equal elan and only last year, tugged at the heartstrings as Tutti Futti, guardian of Ranbir Kapoor in Jagga Jasoos. Now, Saswata Chatterjee — known for a string of powerful roles, be it Shabor Dasgupta or Bob Biswas — has been signed up for an Indo-Danish venture, his first international project. Titled Iqbal and the Indian Jewel, it’s the third instalment of the Iqbal franchise, which is lapped up by the masses in

Denmark

.

Saswata plays the Indian lead in the film, directed by Copenhagen-born Oliver Zahle. A children’s film, eighty per cent of the movie will be shot in India. Shoot has already begun in Delhi. Said a source close to the unit, “Saswata is already in Delhi, where the shoot began on February 7. Though it can’t be revealed what he plays in the film, his role involves a lot of action. With the film having a strong Indian connect, the team came looking for local actors and once they saw Saswata, there was no looking further.”

The film’s Indian producer, Rakasree Basu, is originally from Kolkata and she’s a fan of Saswata’s acting. “I spent my formative years in Kolkata before shifting base to Mumbai. But I am always in touch with my roots. My earlier project was a Swedish TV show, where Joy Sengupta was cast as one of the protagonists. As someone with a strong Bengal connect, I understand that there are many local talents in our backyard. Whenever I do something, I try to add a touch of Bengal to it. This time too, it was no different,” she said.

Though the Danish team’s first choice was a well-known face from Mumbai, Rakasree insisted that they meet Saswata. Once the team met the actor, it was convinced that no one could play the part any better. “Mr Chatterjee is a remarkable actor, who has a great body of work in Bengal. I am delighted that he is playing the Indian lead in our Indo-Danish venture,” she added.

While it’s not known how many Indian actors are part of the venture, Martin Top Jacobsen has been roped in as the cinematographer of the film based on a novel by Manu Sareen, a former parliamentarian in Denmark. Saswata, who was busy shooting on Thursday, could not be reached till the time of going to press.