Filmmaker Srijit Mukherji has announced his next project, Emperor vs Sarat Chandra, which will explore the political storm surrounding Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s landmark novel Pather Dabi.

The novel Pather Dabi, widely regarded as one of Sarat Chandra’s most politically-charged works, was published in 1926 and quickly drew the ire of the colonial government for its revolutionary undertones. By January 1927, the British administration banned the book, considering it seditious.

Through Emperor vs Sarat Chandra, Srijit aims to chronicle not just the book’s turbulent journey but also the writer’s evolution from penning social dramas such as Devdas and Parineeta to confronting political realities with Pather Dabi.

The film will also delve into Sarat Chandra’s resistance against the ban, his appeal to Rabindranath Tagore for support, and the societal debates the controversy sparked.

““On August 31, 99 years back, exactly on this day in 1926, Pather Dabi was published as a book, after first appearing as a serialised novel in Bangabani. Four months later, in January 1927, the book was banned by the British. So, next year marks 100 years of Pather Dabi,” Srijit told The Telegraph Online.

“This entire process — Sarat Chandra’s political arousal, his shift from writing novels like Devdas, Parineeta and Srikanta to such a controversial and political novel like Pather Dabi, the subsequent ban, Sarat Chandra taking on this ban by appealing to Rabindranath, and the way society reacted to it — all this is the subject matter of the film,” the filmmaker added.

Jointly produced by SVF and Dag Creative Media, Emperor vs Sarat Chandra is set to hit theatres on May 1, 2026. The cast for the film has not been finalised yet.

On the work front, Srijit has two films up for release — Lawho Gouranger Naam Re, set for a December release this year, and Winkle Twinkle, which will hit theatres next year.