Padatik: Srijit Mukherji’s tribute to Mrinal Sen bags Best Screenplay Award at a US festival

Srijit Mukherji’s film Padatik won the Best Screenplay Award at the New York Indian Film Festival. The director was evidently elated and shared the news on social media. He also congratulated to the entire team. 

Padatik is Srijit’s tribute to Mrinal Sen on his centenary. The teaser of the film was released a few days back. Fans have been eagerly waiting for the film since the day Chanchal Chowdhury's photo as Mrinal Sen came out. 

Chanchal Chowdhury said, “Playing Mrinal Sen is a daunting task. You need the courage to play the role. Before saying anything about whether I deserve to play the role, imagining this as a third person feels unbelievable. Still, I wished to do it, I had a dream, and hence I did it. Also, it was a project with Srijit Mukherji. I saw some of his works and wished to work with him.” The actor further added, “Mrinal Sen is a maestro of cinema. Playing such a great director means being a part of history. Whether it is good or bad will come later.”

Chanchal was supposed to work with Srijit much ago. “There were talks about a project during Covid. I was supposed to work in Rabindranath Ekhane Kokhono Khete Asenni. However, the shooting was not held in Bangladesh during Covid. Now, at last, I worked with him in Padatik,” he said.  He also said, “People in Kolkata want to see my work because they love me. Artists and crews there want me to work in Kolkata. I feel fortunate. This is possible because of Srijit.” 

How was his journey of becoming Mrinal Sen? Chanchal said, “I was given some books and videos. But you can't see a man's inside, his heart. These need to be felt. There were preparations to understand his films' statement and purpose. This was difficult and time-consuming. I am dissatisfied that I should have invested more time in this. I took a challenge that I would give my hundred percent and would do everything to become Mrinal Sen.”