Contracts, contradictions & more: Tollywood’s Puja plot twist
Big-budget film clashes during Durga Puja are common in Bengali cinema. Every producer wants to release their best work during the festive season. This year, four big Bengali films are set to release together. But along with the box office fight, Tollywood is now seeing another clash, between a producer and an actor.
The issue is between producer Firdausul Hasan of ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’ and actor Abir Chatterjee, who plays the lead in the film. Abir is also starring in ‘Raktabeej 2’, directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay and has a contract to promote only that film during Puja. This condition has upset Hasan and director Anik Dutta. At a press meet, Hasan asked, “Should I beg Abir to promote my film? Who is bigger, the film or the actor?” He also said that last year he had postponed the release of ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’ because Abir requested him to, as Shiboprosad and Nandita’s ‘Bohurupi’ was lined up for Puja 2024. “I listened to him once, but should I always sacrifice my film?” Hasan added. Director Dutta also questioned why there should be any fear. “I have seen the trailer and songs of ‘Raktabeej 2’. My film is completely different. So why is Shiboprosad insecure?” he asked. However, Hasan also said that he wouldn’t take the legal route and would wait for Abir to attend the premiere.
Meanwhile, Abir explained his side. He said he had signed the ‘Raktabeej 2’ contract in February 2025, while ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’ had been shot back in 2023. “This film was supposed to be released in May 2024 as a tribute to Satyajit Ray. During dubbing in June 2025, I told the producer I already had a Puja release. I even did correction dubbing on August 30. If I didn’t care about the film, would I have done that? Why wasn’t the film released earlier if everything was ready?” Abir asked.
He added that he works with all production houses, but two films of the same actor releasing together often harm both. “As an actor, I can’t decide release dates, but I believe such clashes affect business,” said Abir, who is in Mumbai for a shoot.
