A nine-year-old girl from Cooch Behar has bagged a role in renowned filmmaker Srijit Mukherji’s upcoming Bengali film Killbill Society, thanks to some handholding by her schoolteacher.

Nidhi Mahato, a Class IV student at the Anjuman E Islamia Junior Basic School in Cooch Behar, has started shooting for the film in Chalsa’s Meteli since Friday. She will be playing the childhood version of the film’s protagonist portrayed by actress Koushani Mukherjee.

Nidhi’s journey from a small-town school to the sets of a big-budget Bengali film was made possible by her teacher, Debalina Biswas, who is also a well-known actress and director from Cooch Behar. Biswas had previously directed Nidhi in school plays and was impressed by her acting skills.

“I had directed Nidhi in several school plays, andshe was outstanding. Sometime back, my close friend, actor-director-writer Kalyanmoy Das, who is also from Cooch Behar, sent me a message stating that Srijit Mukherji’s team was looking for a nine-year-old child artiste for Killbill Society,” she said.

“I immediately thought of Nidhi,” the teacher said.

She said she took a photograph of Nidhi and sent itto Kalyanmoy.

“Within half an hour, I received a call from Srijit Mukherji’s team saying that Nidhi had been selected. It felt like a dream,” she said.

However, convincing Nidhi’s family was the nextbig challenge.

“Her family is far removed from the world of cinema. I took it upon myself to explain everything to them. After some talks, I accompanied them to the shooting location,” she added.

Since Friday, Nidhi has been on the sets, shooting for SVF’s Killbill Society, which features a star cast of Koushani Mukherjee, Sandipta Sen, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Kalyanmoy Dasand others.

Sources from Nidhi’s school said Nidhi is the eldest daughter of Moumita and Chandan Mahato in Cooch Behar. She has a four-year-old sister.

Teacher Debalina could not hold back her joy. “I am overjoyed. Some dreams, when they come true through close ones, fill your heart with pride and happiness.”

Nidhi’s parents are equally elated. Her father Chandan, a small businessman, said: “We never imagined our daughter would get such an opportunity. We are grateful to Debalina ma’am and the entire team for guiding her.”