Dev and Subhashree Ganguly’s latest film Dhumketu has secured over 550 shows in theatres across West Bengal, replacing many Hindi releases, filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly said Sunday, calling the development a “historic moment” for Bengali cinema.
“This joy would be a historic mistake if only Team Comet celebrated it. This victory, this joy belongs to every member of the vast family of Bengali cinema. After years of accumulating many successes, this day has been witnessed by Comet. I express my gratitude,” he wrote on X.
Following its August 14 release, Dhumketu made history as the biggest opening day grosser of all time in Bengali cinema, with a collection of Rs 2.1 crore gross, according to the makers.
Shot way back in 2015, Dhumketu had been shelved for almost a decade following a fallout between its co-producers — Dev and Rana Sarkar.
Over the years, the director and actor have often referred to Dhumketu as one of the finest films of Dev’s career. The film also marks a reunion of Dev and Subhashree Ganguly on screen, who have not shared screen space since their real-life separation a decade ago.
The release of Dhumketu was mired in controversy as the makers initially alleged that the film was not getting enough shows because of ‘no-sharing’ policy by Yash Raj Films for War 2. Several industry bigwigs wrote a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee in this regard.
However, Dhumketu raced past War 2 in West Bengal when advance bookings began. “From No Show Sharing to Early Morning Shows - #Dhumketu has definitely come a long way! Now not only the hall owners in cities but even theatre owners in the districts are competing with each other and running Early Morning Shows! I couldn’t have been happier to witness such a spectacular opening at the Box Office,” wrote Dev on X.
Earlier this month, the West Bengal government mandated that all theatres in the state, including multiplexes, should screen at least one Bengali film in a prime-time slot between 3pm and 9pm every day. The directive came ahead of Dhumketu’s clash with War 2 at the box office.
Dhumketu follows fugitive Bhanu’s (Dev’s) sudden return to his hometown to meet his wife Rupa (Subhashree) and his parents (Dulal Lahiri and Alokananda Roy) before his final suicide mission for an extremist group led by Chief (Chiranjit Chakraborty).
According to media reports, Dhumketu has so far earned Rs 4.69 crore nett in the state. The film is set for a national release on August 22.