Chanchal Chowdhury in Srijit Mukherji’s biopic of Mrinal Sen?

The second part of Chanchal Chowdhury’s Karagar will be dropped later this month after it was postponed due to the Football World Cup. Now, the actor may also be seen in a project in Bengal after nearly 12 years. According to sources, after much deliberation, Chanchal will be seen in Srijit Mukherji’s ambitious project, Padatik – a fictionalised biopic of Mrinal Sen. 

According to sources, the shooting of the show will begin in January next year. After recreating Satyajit Ray on the big screen in Anik Dutta’s Aparajito, producer Firdausul Hasan is reportedly gearing up to produce the show that is based on another stalwart filmmaker, Mrinal Sen. Speculation is on if Chanchal will be seen as the master filmmaker in the series. “Given the popularity of Chanchal Chowdhury at this moment, the chances are high that he will play the lead character. The shooting will start in January,” said a source. 

Earlier, Srijit Mukherji took to his social media to announce Padatik on Mrinal Sen’s 99th birthday. The title of the show pays tribute to Mrinal Sen’s iconic 1973 film that features Dhritiman Chatterjee, Simi Grewal, and Bijon Bhattacharya. The cast was not announced then and as of now, there has been no official confirmation. 

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi actor Chanchal Chowdhury worked in Tollywood in 2010 in Goutam Ghose’s Moner Manush. His popularity skyrocketed in West Bengal after his multiple web series were dropped on Hoichoi. He secured his place in the viewers’ hearts with Shawki’s Karagar Part 1 and Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s Hawa.