Dhumketu: Will Dev-Subhashree’s magnum opus ever release?

It was one of the most ambitious projects in the Bengali film industry. With Kaushik Ganguly in the director’s chair, and Dev, Chiranjit, and Subhashree Ganguly in the lead, Dhumketu was also one of the most talked about films in Tollywood. However, it was shelved due to a disagreement between two producers – Rana sarkar and Dev. 

Seven years on, after many speculations, Rana’s social media post on Sunday suddenly brought hope among the Dev-Subhashree fans. He wrote, “Dev has informed that he will be supporting the release of Dhumketu in all the possible ways. All the legal conflicts with Viacom18 will also come to an end within a few days hopefully.”  

Dhumketu was supposed to be hit jodi Dev and Subhashree’s comeback film. Directed by Kaushik, the film was completed in 2016. The first look of Dev in heavy prosthetic makeup went viral. In the photo, Dev appears as a septuagenarian. And suddenly, it got shelved. 

Billed as one of the best films in the actor’s career, the decision of shelving the project broke millions of hearts of Dev and Subhashree’s fans. Meanwhile, Dev always maintained that he would love to see the release of the film. 

It took approximately Rs 4 cr to make the film. Evidently, it was one of the most expensive films in the Bengali industry. Then the films got shelved due to legal problems. Viacom 18 allegedly demanded 24% more money. Meanwhile, as per reports, Dev also did not finish his dubbing. Some years ago, Rana claimed that Dhumkletu is stuck due to the ‘greed of Dev’. After seven years, Rana hinted at a ray of hope for the cine lovers. Quoting from Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, he also wrote, “There will be a Dhumketu storm soon. Kursi ki petti bandh lijiye.”