‘Adipurush’ connection in ‘Devi Chowdhurani’

From releasing the motion poster at the 76th Cannes film festival to roping in the veteran Shyam Kaushal to supervise the stunts in the much-anticipated ‘Devi Chowdhurani’, director Subhrajit Mitra is leaving no stone unturned to make the period drama on the Sanyasi Rebellion of 1770 a success. And now, the makers have roped in ‘Adipurush’ action choreographer Pradyumna Kumar Swain for the Bengali magnum opus.

Recently, Mitra, along with Pradyumna, conducted a recce of the action sequences. The National Award-winning filmmaker is thankful to Boney Kapoor for helping him connect with the acclaimed action director. According to Mitra, despite working in a Rs 600 crore pan-Indian film (read ‘Adipurush’), Pradyumna readily agreed to be a part of the Bengali periodic drama because he liked the subject and the script. “Pradyumna ji liked the story and the script and agreed to be part of ‘Devi Chowdhurani’. The intention has always been to work with the best team on this film,” he said.

The Bengali film, which will be released across India in several languages, has been the talk of the town ever since it was announced. While Prosenjit Chatterjee plays Bhabani Pathak, Srabanti will be seen in the titular role. Ask the director if he’s feeling the pressure to deliver another hit after the success of ‘Avijatrik’ and he nonchalantly mentioned, “We need to constantly push ourselves to better our work.”

Meanwhile, Srabanti is prepping hard for the character and is learning horse riding. The film, which goes on the floor on November 15, also stars Arjun Chakrabarty, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Kinjal Nanda, Bibriti Chattopadhyay and Darshana Banik.

Reportedly, ‘Devi Chowdhurani’ has a budget of Rs 20 crore, which is rare for a Bengali film. The movie has over 250 crew members and Mitra has conducted extensive recce across West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.