Tollywood roundup: Raj Cahkraborty, Subhashree Ganguly, Riddhi Sen and others who made headlines this week

The coronavirus pandemic has swept away Tollywood just like other film industries worldwide and India. Be it celebs interacting with fans on social media or release of Bengali industy’s own short film to raise funds, if you have missed the exciting news, gossips or latest developments that have rocked Bengali cinema this week, here is a weekly roundup for you. Take a look:

Earlier this week, on the occasion of their second marriage anniversary, Raj Chakraborty and Subhshree Ganguly sprang a surprise on social media by announcing the news of Subhashree’s pregnancy. In a post that had two cute photos of the Tollywood couple, the actress wrote: “On the occasion of our 2nd marriage Anniversary, we are happy to announce that we'll be having another hand to hold and another heart to love. We're pregnant!” Both of them are seen wearing customised T-shirts and holding a chalkboard to announce the news about their first baby.

The film industry is facing one of its biggest crises ever due to the coronavirus pandemic. With theatres unable to screen films, Shoojit Sircar has decided to release his Gulabo Sitabo, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurana, on digital. Though owners of theatres like Navina, Priya in Kolkata are not exactly pleased with the decision, given the circumstances, but are hopeful that this is just a phase and things will improve post lockdown. Due to this extended lockdown, there is an uncertainty in every sphere. The film industry is suffering a huge loss with no assurance as when shootings will resume or theatres will reopen.

Paran Bandopadhyay is having a gala time with his four-year-old granddaughter Piku during the lockdown. “Everyone in my para and my relatives call Piku my girlfriend. She is there with me 24x7. I read out stories to her and then she gives me homework to draw. We read out stories to each other and in the evening, we take a walk on our rooftop hand-in-hand,” said the actor, who was also a part of ‘Ekdin Jhar Theme Jabe’, the short corona awareness short film directed by Arindam Sil. “I am penning a script for my next play titled Sokal Teenteh. It shows how important a girl child is in a family. I do believe we will sail through these difficult times and get back to our normal lives soon,” said the veteran actor.

Rituparna Sengupta is all set to make a comeback in Hindi films as the protagonist in south director Hari Viswanath’s second feature film ‘Bansuri’. Director actor Anurag Kashyap is playing her husband in the film. And now, the first look of Rituparna from ‘Bansuri’ is out and it looks quite interesting. The film is about a single mother and the way she raises her child. What happens when the child comes face to face with his father is what the story is all about. Raghuvir Yadav will be seen in the role of the father-in-law, while Chitrangada Chakraborty plays the role of the child’s flute teacher. Child artiste Harshil, who was last seen in Bishorjon, will play Rituparna’s son.

After ‘Robibaar’ what will be the subject of his next film? Well, Atanu Ghosh has already started working on a couple of scripts for his next project. “I am spending most of my lockdown period writing scripts. One story is about two youngsters having some extrasensory power that lands them in a peculiar crisis. The other one is an unconventional journey revisiting an age-old scientific riddle and finally zeroing in on a unique discovery. The human mind has always been my favourite hunting ground. I am in the process of completing these scripts and will start shooting after Puja if everything goes well. Besides, I have also started working on a documentary that is closely connected to the phase we are going through,” revealed the National Award-winning director.

Prosenjit Chatterjee who is enjoying a much needed break at home spending time with family is following the lockdown rules strictly and the Tolly superstar wants to see everyone around him safe as well. The ‘Robibaar’ actor has seen this industry from close quarters over the years. So, how well does he think Tollywood would move ahead after this lockdown? “It is not only us who are affected by this pandemic, entertainment industries across the country are suffering. Global economy has been affected badly. To be honest, I don’t have an answer to this, because I am not God. I can only hope that things will be fine in the future. We used to think that humans were the most powerful beings on earth, but the recent coronavirus pandemic had proved we were wrong. We are, in fact, puppets in the hands of Almighty. Nature is the decision-maker and will always be so,” explained an optimistic Prosenjit.

National Award-winning actor Riddhi Sen, along with his parents, also veteran actors, Koushik Sen and Reshmi Sen star in a short film ‘Shilpi’. For the first time, the Sen family has come together for Shilpi as theatre actors who are kept away from rehearsals, shows and are forced to stay indoors. Riddhi, who has received many accolades for his performances in films like Nagarkirtan, Helicopter Eela, is worked for the first time with Windows. Written by director Nandita Roy, ‘Shilpi’ portrays the struggle and uncertainty of theatre actors amidst the pandemic but shows how the actors are keeping the art alive. The short film beautifully brings out the survival paths by all the artistes, as it shows how they find their way out to survive through art.