8/12 trailer: Spirited portrayal of historic attack on Writers' Building by Binoy Badal Dinesh

The trailer for Arun Roy’s upcoming film 8/12 (2022) offers a sneak peak at the account of the Writers’ Building attack launched by revolutionary trio Binoy, Badal and Dinesh on 8 December 1930.

Starring Kinjal Nanda, Arna Mukhopadhyay and Remo, the black-and-white film promises to present the journey of the three revolutionaries who entered the secretariat building of the Bengal presidency in Calcutta and shot dead Lt Col NS Simpson, the infamous inspector-general of prisons, to warn the British of the consequences of relentless torture inflicted on arrested freedom fighters.

The graphic portrayal of the torture is disturbing and explains what pushed the three brave youths to take up arms and sacrifice their lives to inspire an entire generation to stand up to the dominance of the colonizers.

As a leader, Saswata Chatterjee plays a crucial role in preparing Binoy Basu (Nanda), Badal Gupta (Mukhopadhyay) and Dinesh Gupta (Remo) for the attack. Though his character is not clearly introduced in the trailer, Chatterjee appears to be playing Hemchandra Kanungo, the mastermind behind the attack.

Binoy, Badal and Dinesh are chosen for launching the attack for their fearless bent and indomitable spirit. Their ability to face the British unflinchingly and play with danger instead of settling for security made them heroic figures for other revolutionaries.

The fast-paced depiction of the account with a youthful background score raises hopes for the director’s passionate effort to bring the story alive. Whether Roy inspires viewers with an authentic portrayal of the events will be known when the film is released in January 2022. Till then, watch the trailer below and let us know if you are keen to watch this film.