Abir Chatterjee to play protagonist in Anik Dutta's upcoming film Aparajito

Abir Chatterjee will star in director Anik Dutta's upcoming film Aparajito, which is based on Satyajit Ray’s journey while making his debut film Pather Panchali (1955).

While speaking to The Times of India, an English daily, the director confirmed that the film has nothing to do with Ray’s second film, which has the same title. “It is inspired by the making of Pather Panchali and is not a Satyajit Ray biopic,” said the maker of Bhooter Bhabishyat (2012), Bhobishyoter Bhoot (2019) and Borunbabur Bondhu (2020).

“In my film, a character called Aparajito Ray aka Apu (Chatterjee) makes a film called Pather Podaboli. It captures the hurdles he faces and whether he can finally achieve his dream,” said the director.

The director reportedly took permission from Sandip Ray, the son of the legendary filmmaker, before making the film, which is now in the pre-production stage. “The research work is complete. Everything has been put on hold now, as the situation is grim outside. Because this is a period film, we need to do a lot of pre-production before the film goes on the floors,” said Dutta.

The director also said he was considering starting the shoot in September as he wants to capture the time of the year when kashphul grass is present as it is an integral part of the film.