Soumitra Chatterjee biopic Abhijaan to be premiered at London Indian Film Festival

The late Soumitra Chatterjee's biopic Abhijaan (2021), directed by Parambrata Chatterjee, will be premiered at the London Indian Film Festival on 26 June.

Supriyo Sen’s documentary Swimming Through The Darkness has also been selected for screening at the festival. Both the biopic and the documentary have been produced by Roadshow Films.

Elated at the news, Chatterjee told The Telegraph newspaper, “It’s a matter of great honour and joy for us. We have been trying to do meaningful work with integrity and artistry. It’s not always easy to hold on to such virtues in the present times. Seeing that being doubly validated feels rather good.”

Soumitra Chatterjee (1935-2020): Icon who enriched Bengal's culture and Indian cinema

Abhijaan also features Jisshu Sengupta, Paoli Dam, Qaushiq Mukherjee, Basab Datta Chatterjee and the director himself. In the film, Parambrata, an admirer of Soumitra, begins research on him with the intention of making a biopic. While the veteran narrates his life story, Sengupta plays the younger Soumitra in the flashbacks.

Soumitra died on 15 November 2020 of complications caused by COVID-19, which he contracted while shooting for several projects, including Abhijaan, after last year's countrywide lockdown was eased.

The London audience will be the first to watch the film and Parambrata was disappointed that he would not be able to travel and experience the film with an audience owing to the COVID-19 travel restrictions on India.

Speaking about a theatrical release for the film in India, the director said, “Uncertainty is looming large over films in India in general. For Bengali films to earn something or break even, a combination of theatrical, satellite and digital, all three avenues, is needed.” He said the coming days would be crucial for Bengali cinema with several films awaiting release.

Swimming Through The Darkness, which depicts the inspiring journey of blind swimmer Kanai Chakraborty, was premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018 in the Asian Competition category. It has also been telecast on the World channel of the Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Reacting to the film's inclusion in the London festival, Supriyo Sen said, “Selection in LIFF is a continuation of the success that the film has been receiving. We are very happy that it is resonating with global audiences.”

Swimming Through The Darkness won a National award for Best Sports Film at the 66th National Film Awards in 2019.