The thrills of Amazon returns to Bengali cinema

Sandip Ray’s long-anticipated 'Professor Shonku o El Dorado' which is finally releasing tomorrow (December 20) was extensively shot in the deep inside the jungles of Amazon and Sao Paulo to retain the originality of the main story. The sci-fi adventure drama, with 8-9 Brazilian actors onboard alongside the Indian cast, will also release both in English and Bengali.
In 2017, Bengali cinema got to taste the scenic beauty and thrills of Amazon in Dev’s ‘Amazon Obhijaan’. Two years later we would get to experience the adventures deep inside Amazon’s tropical rain forest yet again.
“We had to give the story a realistic portrayal on screen. A major part of the film was shot in Sao Paulo, Manaus and Amazon forests. Near about 8 to 9 talented Brazilian actors from theatre and small-screen background have played their parts in the film and they got along well with their Indian counterpart. Shonku has a big fraternity of friends from abroad. We had to go by the sketches made by my father in his book to give shape to the characters. I am glad we could follow his vision, with certain modifications which was necessary to make a film,” said Sandip Ray speaking about the Amazon shoot experience.

He also recalled Fernando Borges De, who plays a negative character in the film, was thrilled to know that the film is being directed by the Satyajit Ray’s son. "Fernando wanted to know if there are more books on Professor Shonku after reading the script. We told him that its English translations are available on Amazon," the acclaimed director added.
Sandip Ray’s film, produced by SVF, 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.