Pratikrit Basu to direct a film on Surya Shekhar Ganguly

Sports films are rare in Bengal and now Pratikrit Basu is all set to direct a Bengali film inspired by the life of Indian chess grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly. Aptly titled ‘Dabaru’, the film will hit theatres this winter.

From the veteran Dipankar Dey, Kaushik Sen, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Rituparna Sengupta and Sankar Chakraborty to Biswanath Chakraborty, ‘Dabaru’ boasts stellar casting. The film will highlight the life of Surya, who became a grandmaster at the age of 19 and had to face financial difficulties to reach the stage where he is today.

For producer Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay, working with Dipankar De and Chiranjeet is indeed a special moment.

“Chiranjeet da has always been supportive of our work. His timely suggestions have always been helpful. Rituparna has been associated with us since day one. So, any film of ours in which she is a part becomes doubly special,” he said. Shiboprosad also mentioned that, after 20 years, Chiranjeet has agreed to team up with them. The last time they worked together was for ‘Mushkil Ashan’ on the small screen.

Undoubtedly, director Pratikrit, who directed Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev in the 2022 Durga Puja release ‘Kacher Manush’, couldn’t be happier: “I am lucky that I have got the opportunity to direct some acclaimed actors. I hope the audience will like the film.”

Rituparna, who last worked with Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad in ‘Belashuru’ (2022), sounded elated to team up with the same production house yet again: “I always feel proud and happy to come back to this team. ‘Dabaru’ is a film that is very different from the kind of films we have seen so far. I am sure the audience will like it.”

Meanwhile, Grandmaster Ganguly is happy that a Bengali film on sports is being made. “The only sports film in Bengali I can think of is the Soumitra Chatterjee-starrer ‘Kony’. More than my life and struggles, I am happy that the sport of chess is being highlighted. Chess is not a game that is popular in every household,” said the Arjuna Awardee and six-time national champion.