Koel Mallick to play iconic Mitin Mashi in Arindam Sil's upcoming venture

Actress Koel Mallick will don the role of Mitin Mashi, a classic detective character introduced by the late author Suchitra Bhattacharya, in Arindam Sil’s upcoming detective film Mitin Mashi.

The film, inspired by Bhattacharya’s story Hate Matro Teenteh Din, will also mark the debut of acclaimed Hindi film actor Vinay Pathak in Bengali cinema.

The director said many other filmmakers had approached the late author’s husband Pradipta Bhattacharya for the rights to her stories, but he chose to give Sil the rights first.

Sil stated that he is often accused of dealing with detective stories only and hence he thought of taking it further by featuring a woman detective in his next film. The last time a woman detective was seen in Bengali cinema was in the late Rituparno Ghosh’s Shubho Mahurat (2003).

Mitin Mashi is going to be Sil’s third detective franchise after Byomkesh Bakshi and Shabor. “Both Shabor and Byomkesh are hard-hitting," Sil told The Times of India newspaper. "Mitin Mashi, however, is the right mix of docile and edgy."

A thrilled Mallick said, “I grew up reading Mitin Mashi stories and it feels great to be able to play the character. This will be a celebration of womanhood.”

The film will be shot by Subhankar Bhar and Bickram Ghosh will compose the music. Arunima Ghosh, Riya Banik and Subhrajit Dutta will play crucial roles in the film. Sil plans to begin shooting in July and the film is slated for a Puja release.