Rituparna Sengupta and Prosenjit during the ongoing schedule of Laatsaheb at Technicians Studio

It’s the much-anticipated patch-up after the most famous break-up in Tollywood history. The most popular on-screen pairing in the Bengali film industry after Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen had fizzled out when Prosenjit and Rituparna Sengupta parted ways on screen at the turn of the millennium.

Among the several things at stake then was a film, earlier titled Prem Pratidan now re-christened Laatsaheb, which got stuck, passed several directorial hands and is now on way to completion with the star duo finally agreeing on dates.

Currently being directed by Shankar Roy, who had made Criminal with Prosenjit, Laatsaheb is being shot at Technicians Studio. Rituparna plays Radha, a woman with a past, whom Prosenjit, known as Saheb, rescues and gives shelter.

Whether the film will rekindle the couple’s on-screen spark is yet to be seen. Meanwhile, both are busy chasing careers of a different kind.

His story

The leading man of Tollywood is switching gears, from action films to softer ones and a bigger role behind the scenes. As of now, Prosenjit’s platter is full.

He is paired with comeback girl Priyanka Trivedi for Agnipariksha, and the film shot in the serene Nepal landscape and is ready for release. “It’s a performance-oriented commercial film, with shades of the film Khilona. There are no fights in it,” shares Prosenjit, in between shots for Laatsaheb at Technicians.

Sujit Guha’s Sangharsha, co-starring Swastika Mukherjee and Sayantani Ghosh, is a “social romantic film”, also awaiting its turn to hit the theatres. Among the various upcoming projects is Ashok Dhanuka’s Bondhu, based on a father-son relationship (between Prosenjit and a child artiste).

“It’s essential to bring back stories in films. People are getting tired of watching action,” he muses.

Prosenjit’s career in parallel films will touch a new milestone with Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s forthcoming feature on voyeurism. “It had two main male characters but now the storyline has changed. Voyeurism is an essential part but it is actually a love story told in Buddhada’s style,” says he.

The other film that has got him excited is with Anjan Dutt, likely to take off in February. “It’s a commercial film but completely different from what I have done so far. It will be a transition for me,” promises Prosenjit, busy gearing up for a bigger off-screen role later this month.

Mahanayakke Nayaker Shraddhanjali is his tribute to Uttam Kumar with a four-day extravaganza from October 12. The opening ceremony at Star will screen Uttam Kumar starrers Bon Palashir Padabali, Ogo Bodhu Sundari and Agnishwar.

“This is an event which is going to establish why Uttam Kumar was the mahanayak (superstar). We are organising an exhibition at Science City which will have game shows, talk shows, contests and auctions of Uttam Kumar memorabilia. We have tracked down a few very interesting fans of the star,” says Prosenjit, whose company Ideas is steering the event.

Her story

The first lady of Bengali potboilers has bagged her fourth film in Bollywood and a foothold too. Gauri, produced by R. Mohan who had backed Madhur Bhandarkar’s Chandni Bar and Priyadarshan’s Gardish, has Atul Kulkarni and Anupam Kher sharing screen space with the svelte Tollywood star.

“This is an emotional story of a couple, and their daughter Gauri. There’s a little bit of mystery too… My character is a young mother but she has lots of things to explore. It has been great working with Atul; he is a very methodical actor,” says Rituparna, having shot for almost a month for Gauri at a hill station in Kerala.

Directed by Aku Akbar, who has given several hits in Malayalam, Gauri comes after her Saab Chai Pani shot recently with Sonu Sood, and the soon-to-release Unns co-starring Sanjay Kapoor. What started it all, of course, was Chandan Arora’s romantic comedy Main Meri Patni Aur Woh.

Back in Tollywood, Rituparna has teamed up with Mithun Chakraborty for Hungama under Swapan Saha’s direction.

“Mithunda had asked me for quite a few projects but those didn’t work out. This is the first time we three are together, so let’s see what happens. It’s a hilarious film about two couples,” adds Rituparna. The other two are Jisshu Sengupta and Oriya heroine Anu.

By mid-October Rituparna would be in the US to shoot for New York-based film-maker Raj Basu’s Piyalir Password, also starring Roopa Ganguly and Sabyasachi Chakraborty.

But immediately after Laatsaheb is the leftover shoot of Gauri. “Till now, I have worked with a set of very good actors in Bollywood, like Rajpal Yadav and Kay Kay, and now Atul and Anupam Kher. I am yet to do a film with the stars. But I am not on a signing spree, be it in Bollywood or Tollywood. I am choosing my films after a lot of thought,” she smiles, before returning to Laatsaheb, her original hero number one.

“We both have been juggling dates to make this film happen for a long time. It’s very difficult to give bulk dates and make them coincide. In this schedule we are trying to finish the remaining 40 per cent work. There are three-four song sequences and one is yet to be shot. My character Radha has a past and when she is in the middle of a crisis, Saheb (Prosenjit) comes to rescue her. A relationship develops but she is torn between her past (Tapas Pal) and present.”

— Rituparna Sengupta

“Whenever this film got stalled, it was due to some technical problem on the part of the producer. Neither I nor Rituparna has had any role in this (delay). The film has passed the hands of three directors and both Rituparna and I have accommodated dates whenever we have been asked. This is the last try at finishing the project. Naturally over the course of time, the storyline has changed a little. But the framework has remained the same. My character Saheb is a kind of saviour, and just as with many other people he shelters this girl (Rituparna) too. A relationship grows between them...”

— Prosenjit

Reshmi Sengupta