Bengali films such as Soukarya Ghosal’s Rawkto Rawhoshyo, Arjunn Dutta’s Guldasta, Debaloy Bhattacharya’s Dracula Sir, Anjan Dutt’s Saheber Cutlet and Anshuman Pratyush’s SOS Kolkata will be released theatrically in West Bengal this month during Durga Puja.
Last week, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee granted permission to cinema halls to reopen before the festival with fewer than 50 people in attendance.
Rawkto Rawhoshyo, featuring Koel Mallick, was initially supposed to be released in May, around the start of Bengali New Year. However, due to the pandemic-induced lockdown, it was postponed until permission was granted by the state government.
Though audiences will be extremely cautious, Ghosal believes, there is an advantage to releasing films during Durga Puja.
“People are generally in the mood to celebrate. However, this year the scenario is a bit different. While people are extra cautious with regard to joining a crowd, I believe, due to the prolonged lockdown, people are also craving celebration,” said Ghosal.
On the other hand, the regular crowds in restaurants, markets and, especially, phuchka stalls are giving cause to Ghosal to hope that people have come to terms with COVID-19 and the initial stage of panic has subsided. “At the initial stage of lockdown, WHO had declared that COVID-19 was going to stay with us for a long time and we needed to learn to live with it. In the past month, the recovery rate of infected patients has increased. People were initially scared of the rising number of deaths but now they have understood that the mortality rate of COVID-19 is lower than many other fatal diseases,” said Ghosal.
Rawkto Rawhoshyo is Ghoshal’s first Puja release. “I am feeling quite positive as I can see the anticipation for the film rising. In this film, Koel (Mallick) plays a mother. Hence, we have created the tagline 'Ma Aschhen Ei Pujoy [ Mother is arriving in this Puja]'. This is the story of a mother’s struggle. I think during these challenging times, people will relate to her struggle even more," said Ghoshal.
Rawkto Rawhoshyo reflects the emotional struggle of protagonist Swarnaja in the form of a thriller. “I am hopeful that people will enjoy watching a superstar like Koel in such a different avatar. Rwitobroto Mukherjee will also be seen in a completely new character. The way people have expressed their anticipation for the film since the recent announcement of the theatrical release, I believe there is a certain recall value in the content,” added the director of Rainbow Jelly.
Mahendra Soni, director and co-founder of SVF Entertainment, is looking forward to the theatrical release of Dracula Sir, featuring Anirban Bhattacharya and Mimi Chakraborty. “I feel everyone just wants to see movies on a big screen. The experience of watching your favourite characters on a large screen is incomparable and irreplaceable. With powerful performances by Anirban Bhattacharya and Mimi Chakraborty in Dracula Sir, we are confident about the film releasing this Puja," he said.
Guldasta, featuring Swastika Mukherjee, Arpita Pal Chatterjee and Debjani Chattopadhyay, was also scheduled to release earlier this year. Dutta expressed happiness that the film was finally being released. “Finally, Guldasta is releasing this Puja, and I am very excited. It's a heart-warming tale of human emotions, which is surely going to touch hearts. Our team has given 100% to this project. Hopefully, people will connect with the story. It's very simple and relatable and during this tough time, Guldasta imparts hope,” said Dutta.
Films that were running successfully before the lockdown, including Aritra Mukherjee's Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti and Indrasis Acharya's Parcel, will be back in theatres again.