Shibpur director Arindam Bhattacharya plans a prequel to portray the political background

Arindam Bhattacharya’s Shibpur which features Parambrata Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee Kharaj Mukherjee, Rajatava Dutta, Mamata Shankar, and others in the lead saw mixed to positive reviews, despite failing at the box office. Now, the director is all set to plan a prequel of the gangway drama to give a background of the characters like Tapan Barik (Kharaj) and Nepal Bhattacharya (Rajatava). 

In an interview with Aajkal Dot In, the director confirmed the news. He revealed that the movie's production will commence next year, set in the 1970s when the flames of the Naxalite movement were ablaze.

The director's vision will start unfolding from the Shibpur area. Alongside, there will be a gripping narrative surrounding the guerrilla hideouts of Shibpur’s insurgents. He further added that there is a chance that the number of antagonists might go up. “In Shibpur, we have Mamata Shankar, Kharaj and Rajatabha. Subhashis Mukhopadhyay might join the team as well."

Arindam also clarified why Parambrata and Swastika will not be a part of the upcoming movie. He said, “The film Shibpur is about the 80s. And in the new film, I will delve into the turbulent politics of the ’70s – the dominance of Congress, and the emergence of the Left Front. There is no place for Parambrata and Swastika's characters.”

It was also revealed that politics played a crucial role in the previous movie and will continue to be the central theme in the upcoming one. Thus, the audience can expect an intense political drama as their treat. The shooting will take place in the rustic setting of the Howrah Shibpur area. Arindam will work as the writer, director, and producer. 

Furthermore, several A-list stars will be seen in leading roles, but their names are being kept confidential for now. Everything will be unveiled with a grand spectacle in 2024 with the release of the Shibpur prequel.

About the author: Chandragupta is part human brain, part generative AI: the former provides intellect while the latter does the heavy lifting of an artificial neural network. The name, if you haven’t already worked it out, is a backronym of ChatGPT.