Actor Rahul Banerjee to make directorial debut with Kolkata 96

Actor Rahul Banerjee will be making his debut as a feature film director with Kolkata 96.

Set in 1996, the film will star Ritwick Chakraborty and will also mark the acting debut of Banerjee's son with actress Priyanka Sarkar, Sohoj.

According to a report by Anandaplus, the entertainment supplement of Anandabazar Patrika, a Bengali daily, the film will tell the story of a family hailing from Bangladesh that settled in South Kolkata. Kolkata 96 will depict what the family goes through from 20 to 22 June, in that particular year.

Of course, 22 June 1996 is an important date in the collective memory of Bengalis, as Sourav Ganguly scored a historic century in his debut Test match at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London on that day.

“That century had a great impact on us,” said Banerjee, “Bengalis got back their confidence to fight back on that day. However, the film is not about Sourav Ganguly, it’s a story of common people.”

Since the story has a character that is his son’s age, Banerjee thought of casting Sohoj. However, he is yet to announce the rest of the cast.

To capture the feel of a celluloid film, the makers have decided not to shoot Kolkata 96 digitally. “Those were the days of load-shedding, standing up for each other, and exchanging tiffin. The transition from analogue to digital was yet to take place. My film will capture that transition too,” said the actor-turned-director.

Produced by Rana Sarkar, Kolkata 96 will go on the floors in Kolkata in May.