With a monsoon wind howling and a storm of rebellion brewing, the first glimpse of Raghu Dakat has landed — and it roars with cinematic fire. Unveiled by SVF and Dev Entertainment Ventures, the pre-teaser offers a tantalising taste of what promises to be a grand Bengali film spectacle.
Directed by Dhrubo Banerjee, and headlined by Dev in the titular role, Raghu Dakat revisits one of Bengal’s most legendary outlaw figures. The teaser, just under a minute long, is all mood and menace — setting up a world drenched in blood, rebellion and lore.
Set against the simmering unrest of 18th-century colonial Bengal, the teaser opens with a scorched village, its silence shattered by three British officials galloping through rain-soaked fields towards a fallen body. The very next shot depicts a public execution — two men, possibly freedom fighters, hanging from the gallows. “The British thought the fire had died, but they didn’t know that flames die out, but the ashes remain,” a voice declares, casting the tale in the light of resistance as much as legend.
What follows is a visual assault of brutality and rebellion — the oppression of the British Empire, and people caught in the crosshairs of power and uprising. In a striking moment, we see Dev as Raghu — his face covered, firing an arrow into the unknown — before the full reveal: clad in period armour, turbaned and teeka-marked, bearded and blazing with intensity, torch in hand.
The voiceover bellows, “Ebar itihaash leekhbe Raghu”— Raghu will now write history. One of the final shots sees him smearing vermilion across his forehead in a symbolic act of resolve, while another captures a glimpse of Goddess Kali. It is cinematic history rendered with pulpy flourish — where every frame breathes tension, and even the silences carry the weight of revolution.
The haunting background score by Rathijit Bhattacharjee elevates the teaser, building a soundscape that is both epic and intimate — reminiscent of classic war dramas but rooted in folk memory.
This marks the second collaboration between Dev and Dhrubo Banerjee after Golondaaj, and it’s already drawing comparisons to epic genre staples. Dev, in his rugged new avatar as Raghu (known as the Robinhood of Bengal), is barely glimpsed in full, but his presence is felt in every flicker of firelight and every cry of protest.
Also starring Anirban Bhattacharya, Roopa Ganguly, Sohini Sarkar, and Idhika Paul, the film seems poised to mix star power with textured storytelling. Raghu Dakat seems to be rooted in history, wrapped in rebellion, and told with a larger-than-life vision.
Before Raghu storms into cinemas, Dev will also be seen in the Independence Day release Dhumketu, opposite Subhashree Ganguly. While Dhumketu leans towards a more contemporary patriotic thriller, Raghu Dakat firmly dives into the mythic past — reminding audiences of Bengal’s long history of revolutionaries, real and imagined.
The line between dacoit and hero, myth and man, seems ripe for exploration — and Banerjee’s aesthetic suggests a film unafraid to straddle fact and fable.
