Hiralal is an important film for Bengali audience, says director Arun Roy

The trailer of Arun Roy’s upcoming film Hiralal, which is based on the life of pioneering filmmaker Hiralal Sen, was launched in Kolkata on 19 February. The trailer and the poster were launched in the presence of the director, the entire cast — including Kinjal Nanda, Saswata Chatterjee, Kharaj Mukherjee, Anuska Chakraborty, Shankar Chakraborty,  Arna Mukhopadhyay — and producer Indrajit Roy.

Hiralal depicts the journey of Sen (1866-1917), who is credited with making India's first advertising film as well as first political film. Nanda, who plays the protagonist, said, “I am extremely delighted to be a part of this highly important film. Hiralal Sen is a forgotten hero who initiated film as a medium of entertainment, spreading information in Indian society, though he is almost forgotten by the mass.”

The actor said the support the filmmakers had received from our production house Easel Movies would reflect in the end product. "Hiralal is releasing on 5 March. Do watch the film in theatres,” he said.

Roy stated that Sen was undoubtedly the father of Indian cinema. "Dadashaheb Phalke started making films in the 1910s, but Hiralal Sen had successfully attempted filming almost 10 years before him,” said the Filmfare Award-winning director.

The filmmaker said Hiralal was important for Bengali audiences, who are largely unaware of the revolutionary. "The film is releasing on 5 March. We tried to recreate the life and times of Hiralal Sen and are expecting the audience to like it a lot,” he said.