Weekend roundup: Sreelekha Mitra’s explosive nepotism allegation to the exciting ‘Abhijatrik’ poster, here’s what made headlines in Bengali cinema

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:

Soumitra Chattopadhyay wants to get back to work as soon as possible. “I have not faced the camera for three months at a stretch because of the pandemic. This has been a new experience for me. But it’s time we start work again. During the lockdown, I had almost stopped thinking about it because there was no point brooding over something that was not in my control. Before that, I was shooting for Parambrata’s (Chatterjee) film Abhijaan which stopped midway because of the coronavirus outbreak. Now, they have asked me to keep my dates free from mid-July, as some parts of the film are yet to be shot. I hope the shooting starts soon, keeping the new normal and safety in mind,” said the actor.

‘Robibaar’ director Atanu Ghosh has started rewriting his old scripts to make them more relevant to the audience. “Once the lockdown is over, it’ll be a new world, very different from the old. There, these old-world stories will not have any takers. Filmmakers will have to accept this and move on," he explained. Even though he did not reveal much about his future works, he said that he would plan something based on the present crisis. The director has not started shooting anything as of now, because the present shooting rules will not allow him to make the kind of films he wants to shoot.

Adil Hussain, who juggles between Indian art house and mainstream cinema, along with international productions is now back to his first love theatre, concentrating more on the traditional art form.

Currently working on a two-actor play, written and directed by Dilip Shankar that explores the essence of Gita, the National School of Drama (NSD) and London Drama School alumnus will be seen as both Krishna and Arjuna. “I have always wanted to do this. Dilip and I have been working on it through video calling these days and it was his idea to use me in both the roles. But it’s not only challenging, also will offer several dimensions to the whole experience,” said the actor.

The recently released poster of Subhrajit Mitra’s upcoming ‘Avijatrik’ has been painted in monochromatic tones and the watercolour brush strokes make it more artistic. In the poster, Apu can be seen holding Kajal’s hand looking ahead into the horizon. So, you can expect a new beginning. The father-son duo will now start a new journey with beaming faces. They are positioned in the middle of a kash forest while the train remains in the background. It reminds us of the iconic sequence in Ray's Pather Panchali (1955), when Apu and Durga run through the kash forest to catch a glimpse of the train.

When it comes to casting a female lead, Sreelekha Mitra has alleged heroes in the Bengali film industry always have their preferences looked after and don't give any other actress a chance to perform opposite them. The senior actor’s allegation has sparked controversy in the Bengali film industry.

Responding to Sreelekha Mitra's claims, veteran director Haranath Chakraborty who has delivered many commercial potboilers has insisted actors never interfere with filmmaker's casting decisions.

Senior actor Sreelekha Mitra’s allegation of nepotism in Bengali film industry has created quite an uproar among her co-stars and colleagues from the fraternity. Saswata Chatterjee who played Sreelekha’s wife in Anik Datta’s ‘Ashchorjyo Pradip’ says in this tasting time we have to be aware about the negativity spreading among all. “It’s quite natural to suffer from depression, given the critical time we are passing through. We have to be cautious, we can’t let negativity spread like wildfire. In every profession there might be some who think they have been ditched. But we have to come out of this mental state. Don’t let this stay in your mind for long,” suggests the celebrated actor.

Sreelekha Mitra’s nepotism allegation has left Tollywood in shock with many actors expressing their views. For instance, Swastika Mukherjee in her Facebook post slammed Sreelekha Mitra for coming up with such allegation. Now, ‘Borunbabur Bondhu’ director Anik Datta who has worked with Sreelekha in three films has an interesting take on the debate.

“Everybody knows these. It’s like an open secret. Sreelekha talked about these earlier also. Yes, she didn’t come on live to expose but has openly said the same thing. I think she forgot to mention few other names as well. If their names come out they won’t have anywhere to run. I personally know these names. I can also mention their names but I don’t want to get involved in these dirty things,” said Anik while sharing his views on the ongoing nepotism debate.