Indian filmmaker and politician Bratya Basu has shown interest in uniting Bangladeshi actors Mosharraf Karim and Chanchal Chowdhury for an upcoming film project. Basu, who previously worked with Mosharraf Karim on “Dictionary” and “Hubba,” has just wrapped up filming for “Shekhor,” featuring Chanchal Chowdhury. Chanchal shared that Basu is eager to bring both actors together in a single project and might even share the screen with them.
During the shooting of “Bonolota Express,” where Chanchal and Mosharraf reunited, talks about this collaboration arose. The duo first appeared together in the movie “Television,” directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. After a considerable gap, they will reunite in “Bonolota Express,” directed by Tanim Noor, set to release this Eid-ul-Fitr.
Chanchal mentioned that Basu not only plans to direct but also act alongside them in the same film. “Shekhor” is inspired by short stories from renowned Bengali author Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay such as “Drabomoyir Kashibash” and “Dadu.” The movie also stars Loknath Dey, Seema Biswas, Ambarish Bhattacharya, Riddhi Sen, Angana Roy, and Anasuya Majumdar.
Apart from his acting, Chanchal Chowdhury made his singing debut in “Shekhor,” contributing vocals 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 disclosed that he proposed including these songs in the film.
While cultural exchange between Bangladesh and West Bengal has progressed in recent times, Chanchal highlighted a slowdown in collaborations post the 2024 political changes. Stressing the significance of joint efforts for the global expansion of Bengali cinema, he mentioned, “Bengali has a global audience. To reach them, we need to collaborate,” suggesting that the vast Bengali content market could benefit from extensive cross-border productions.