Jackie Shroff in Antarmahal; (below) Indrani Halder

Jackie Shroff’s tryst with the “Bangalibabu” is not over yet. After playing Chunnibabu to Devdas-Chandramukhi in Devdas and lord and master to Roopa-Soha in Antarmahal, he is all set for a third tryst with the Bengali way of life.

In Raatporir Roopkatha, to be directed by Sanghamitra Chaudhuri this month, Jackie plays Kamalbabu, with Indrani Halder in the role of a sex worker.

Jackie, who was last seen in town for the filming of Rituparno Ghosh’s Antarmahal, will be here for a weeklong shoot in a south Calcutta house in end-November.

“Jackie had called me up after signing the project and he sounded very excited. He has also given a lot of inputs for the film,” says Indrani, who will be working with the Bollywood actor for the first time.

The film spans 15 years, tracing Rajani’s (Indrani) intense relationship with the widower Kamalbabu in the first half, and her struggle to give a new life to her daughter Sabita in the second.

“Rajani is a self-respecting individual who puts her daughter in Kamal’s care. But Sabita falls victim to trafficking and Kamal somehow is never able to disclose this to Rajani. Kamal, too, has a daughter, Diya, whom Rajani meets years later and takes her to be Sabita. Overwhelmed by Rajani’s emotions, Diya keeps it a secret. But Sabita returns one day…” says Sanghamitra, guarding the twist in the end.

With a variety of shades to her role, Indrani is excited, too. “My character is a sex worker, so that’s something different for me. But she’s also a lover and a deprived mother who wants a better life for her daughter. There’s a lot of pain as she realises her daughter has followed in her footsteps,” says Indrani.

Koel Banerjee, who will debut in Sanghamitra’s first feature film Chakra co-starring Jisshu Sengupta and slated for release on November 24, will play Sabita. Aparajita Ghosh Das, a household name thanks to the Zee Bangla serial Ekdin Pratidin, will be seen as Jackie’s daughter.

Raatporir Roopkatha is an adaptation of a short story by Sanghamitra and will be the first production of the city-based Global Media Entertainment. “We plan to shoot some portions in Sonagachhi where the story is set. Raatporir Roopkatha will be a commercial film… Jackie will use a prompter for his Bengali lines; it will be dubbed by someone else later,” said Neil of Global Media Entertainment.

The film will have five classical music-based songs composed by Debasish Chowdhury. The cast also includes Abir Goswami, seen in Lakshya, Khakee and TV serials Kavyanjali and Jab Love Hua, in a pivotal role alongside Jackie.