Weekend roundup: Tollywood’s top newsmakers of the week

If you have missed the exciting news, gossip or latest developments that have made headlines in Bengali cinema this week, here is a weekly roundup for you. Take a look:

While the industry is still in shock after popular TV actress Pallavi Dey’s alleged suicide on Wednesday came another tragic news. Yet another model-turned-actress Bidisha De Majumdar was found dead at her apartment in Dumdum. The 21-year-old aspiring actress used to live with her parents. On Wednesday evening the body of the young actress was found hanging at her apartment. Police have already started their investigation and they are still not sure whether it is a suicide or murder. The initial investigation is underway and police are trying to gather more information about Bidisha from her close friends and family.

Rituparna Sengupta whose latest release ‘Belashuru’ is having a stupendous box office run is super excited about his next film ‘Antardrishti’, directed by Kabir Lal, who is known for Bollywood hits like ‘Taal’ and ‘Pardes’. Antardrishti, touted to be a revenge thriller, will see Sengupta in a double role with one character losing eyesight and this is something which who didn’t have seen too often. The thriller has been shot in four languages simultaneously - Bengali, Marathi, Tamil and Kannada with the seasoned actress playing the lead in the Bengali version. Sean Banerjee and Indrajit Chakraborty are also part of the cast. The thriller which is expected to release soon is a remake of ‘Julia’s Eyes’, a Spanish horror film.

Saswata Chatterjee has proved his mettle not just in Bengali cinema but in Bollywood as well. His stellar performance in the recently released Kangana Ranaut-starrer ‘Dhaakad’ has once again earned him accolades. And now, here’s another piece of exciting news for his fans. Saswata, regarded as one of the finest character actors right now, is playing a key role in director Nag Ashwin’s much-anticipated film ‘Project K’ which stars Deepika Padukone and Prabhas in the lead. The seasoned actor has already shot with Deepika for one day in Hyderabad and her professionalism has heavily impressed Saswata. ‘Project K’, which is scheduled to release in 2023, also has Amitabh Bachchan in a key role, is sci-fi thriller and it also marks the Telugu debut of Saswata.

Sandip Ray is now all charged up for his next Feluda film. As two new producers have stepped in to bankroll the much-anticipated film the shooting will start mid-June. And, that too, with cast Sandip Ray has finalized. In Feluda’s next outing, Pradosh Chandra Mitra goes for a seaside vacation in Puri on with Topshe and Lalmohan babu but gets involved in investigating a murder mystery. While seasoned actor Indraneil Sengupta will play the new feluda, actor-director Abhijit Guha has been cast as Lalmohan Babu.

After 2011 screening of her film ‘Chhatrak’ at the Cannes Film Festival, another film of Paoli ‘Chhaad’ was screened at Cannes Market section on Monday. The slice-of-a-life drama starring Paoli and Rahul Banerjee has been directed by Indrani Chakraborty whose documentary ‘Ladakh Chale Rickshawala’ won the Best Exploration/Adventure Film award at the 65th National Film Awards. In the film, Chhaad (Terrace) represents the personal space and freedom of a person. Paoli plays the female protagonist and the story is about how she finds a sense of freedom on the terrace. There comes a point in her life when her access to the terrace gets prohibited and then she realises what it means to her. The plot sheds light on the identity crisis of a female writer-cum-school teacher (Paoli) when she is denied access to the terrace - her open space. Apart from Rahul and Paoli, ‘Chhaad’ also has Rajnandidni Paul in a key role.

Saswata Chatterjee who plays Shabor Dasgupta in Arindam Sil’s latest release ‘Tirandaj Shabor’ is happy that the fourth movie of the exhilarating detective Shabor is liked by the audience. The story revolves around a rainy night when Sumit Ghoshal (Nigel Akkara), a taxi driver arrives at a police station with a passenger who had suddenly taken ill. The officer-in-charge inspects the person and found him dead which makes Sumit the prime suspect. The mysterious night finds ACP-DD Shabor Dasgupta and his accomplice, inspector Nanda (Subhrajit Dutta) trying to solve the case.