Bratya Basu plans film with Mosharraf Karim and Chanchal Chowdhury

Indian filmmaker and politician Bratya Basu has expressed interest in bringing Bangladeshi actors Mosharraf Karim and Chanchal Chowdhury together for a future film project.

Basu previously directed Mosharraf Karim in “Dictionary” and “Hubba”. He has now completed shooting “Shekhor”, starring Chanchal Chowdhury. According to Chanchal, the director hopes to collaborate with both actors in a single film — and may even share screen space with them.

Chanchal revealed in an interview that discussions about such a collaboration took place during the shooting of “Bonolota Express”, where he reunited with Mosharraf Karim. The two actors first appeared together on the big screen in Television, directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. After a long gap, they are set to reunite in “Bonolota Express”, directed by Tanim Noor, which is scheduled for release this Eid-ul-Fitr.

Speaking about Basu’s plans, Chanchal said the filmmaker conveyed his desire not only to direct them but also to act alongside them in the same project.

Shekhor is based on short stories by noted Bengali author Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, including “Drabomoyir Kashibash” and “Dadu”. The film also features Loknath Dey, Seema Biswas, Ambarish Bhattacharya, Riddhi Sen, Angana Roy and Anasuya Majumdar.

In addition to acting, Chanchal Chowdhury has made his playback debut in Shekhor, lending his voice to two reinterpreted Baul songs — Bijoy Sarkar’s “Ei Prithibi Jemon Ache Temni Thik Robe” and Gosto Gopal Das’s “O Jibon Re Chhariya Na Jao More”. He shared that he suggested incorporating the songs into the film.

While cultural exchange between Bangladesh and West Bengal had seen growth in recent years, Chanchal noted that collaboration has slowed following political changes in 2024. He emphasised the importance of joint ventures for expanding Bengali cinema globally.

Read more

Fan feud erupts as ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ finale downvoted before release

“Bengali has a worldwide audience. To reach that audience, we should work together,” Chanchal said, adding that the Bengali content market is vast and could benefit from large-scale, cross-border productions.