Srijit Mukherji’s Emperor Vs Sarat Chandra, starring Abir Chatterjee and Tota Roy Choudhury, is set to release in theatres during Durga Puja, the makers announced on Wednesday.

Production banner Nandy Movies dropped a pre-teaser of the upcoming period film offering a glimpse of Tota as writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, and Abir as Sabyasachi – a character created by the legendary author.

Mimi Chakraborty, Rik Chatterjee and television actress Divyani Mondal round out the cast of the film.

Emperor Vs Sarat Chandra will explore the political storm surrounding Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s landmark novel Pather Dabi, widely regarded as one of Sarat Chandra’s most politically-charged works.

Pather Dabi 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.

Some users, however, pointed out that Abir’s look in the pre-teaser resembled that of Dipak Chatterjee from Debaloy Bhattacharya’s Shri Swapankumarer Badami Hyenar Kobole (2024). When The Telegraph Online asked Srijit about it, he said it was deliberate.

“Sabyasachi in terms of characterisation and costume description in covert operations is technically the first super hero in Bangla literature. A precursor to all larger than life, western clothes donning saviours like Dipak Chatterjee and Kiriti Roy,” he said.

The filmmaker added that Sabyasachi’s character has various costumes in the film. "He was a master of disguise operating in colonial Batavia and Rangoon," Srijit added,

“This is my tribute to Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay on his 150th birth anniversary and the 100th year of publication of Pather Dabi,” Srijit had previously said.