Fans of mythology and retellings of Indian myths can look forward to an engrossing watch this Durga Puja in the form of Soham Chakraborty and Srabanti Chatterjee’s upcoming film Durganagar. Directed by Saptaswa Basu and slated to begin shooting soon, the movie has already garnered significant buzz for drawing inspiration from the stories of Lord Shiva and Gauri from the Indian Puranas. Soham and Srabanti, who have long been an extremely popular pair on the Bengali silver screen, are set to return with a narrative that combines traditional themes with contemporary storytelling. Described as a female-centric film, the narrative centres around Gayatri (Srabanti) and Rudra (Soham). The film draws inspiration from the mythical trio of Shiva, Durga, and Asura (played by newcomer, theatre artiste Sanghopriyo Mukherjee in the film) and presents them to the audience in modern symbolic representations.
The first look of the film’s characters — more specifically Gayatri and Asura’s characters — was held at Tall Tales in the Fort Knox Building on Camac Street last month. Present were Soham, Srabanti, Sanghopriyo, and Saptaswa, as well as Riddhadev Bandhopadhyay, who is producing the film. Posters of the characters were unveiled to cheers and claps before the cast and crew each spoke about what the audience can expect from the narrative.
“I have wanted to work on this film for a long time. The story is connected to the Puranas, more specifically the tales of Shiva and Durga. Every year we celebrate Durga Puja, every year good wins over, every year we celebrate bishorjon, and then we wait for the next year’s oshur-bodh. This represents the circle of life. Evil is defeated every time, and every time that circle gets repeated. Weapons these days have also changed. Today, weapons are technology-based and information-oriented. This leads to destruction. This is a new-age telling of a story that is centuries old, and we hope audiences will enjoy what we hope to achieve,” Saptaswa said at the launch.
Soham and Srabanti were equally loquacious in their admiration for the story and the concept. “I want to thank Saptaswa for coming up with a concept like this and for imagining Srabanti and I in his vision to embody it,” Soham said. “The film will be shot in Hrishikesh, so we’re hoping that the link between the mythical story and the real-life geography and topography of the region will be well depicted on screen. I also want to thank Riddhadev and Sanghopriyo for accompanying us in translating Saptaswa’s vision on the big screen. They are both youngsters and it is good to see such dedicated, passionate talent.”
Srabanti added, “Many thanks are due to Saptaswa, especially for bringing Soham and I together as a pair back to Bengali cinema again. The story itself is so interesting and Saptaswa has retold mythology in the script. This is a modernised retelling, and people will see Soham and me in a new avatar. I am looking forward to working with Sanghopriyo, too. I am very grateful that such a solid story has been gifted to us.”
Sanghopriyo, for whom Durganagar will mark his debut in a feature film as well as his 50th character part, also expressed his enthusiasm for the project. “The fact that I have been given the opportunity to play the Asura in the midst of such a beloved cinematic pair is a huge honour. Asura is a very complex character with many layers, so this is a very exciting chance for me. The story is essentially a new concept with old themes. As an actor you want to play a character that will be remembered for a long time, and to play such a part in my first feature film is a blessing. We’re gearing up to having a Durga Puja release, and I truly could not have asked for anything else,” he said.
With a blend of mythology and modern storytelling, Durganagar seems all set to be a promising watch this Puja. As the team gears up for filming, excitement continues to build around the project, with fans eagerly waiting for its release.