Portraying Mrinal Sen is a dream come true: Chanchal Chowdhury

For the first time in his illustrious career, celebrated actor Chanchal Chowdhury has worked on a Kolkata film. The Srijit Mukherji directorial project, titled "Padatik," was released yesterday in Kolkata. 

Previously, Chanchal was featured in the Indo-Bangla joint venture "Moner Manush," directed by Goutam Ghosh.

"Mrinal Sen, who spent his entire life fighting and speaking out against injustice, is our idol," said Chanchal. "Portraying such a huge personality is a tremendous honour."

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Chanchal mentioned he had hoped that "Padatik" would have a simultaneous release in both Bangladesh and India, but it didn't happen. "Although there was a special screening in Kolkata, many artisets were not present at the premiere."

When asked about the core message of "Padatik", Chanchal explained, "The film embodies the ideals of Mrinal Sen, which are also our ideals. His principle was to stand up against injustice and to protest. He conveyed this through his work in cinema and fought for it throughout his life. The essence of the film reflects his enduring ideals."

Looking back on the memories of joining the team of "Padatik", the actor said, "After 'Monpura', I received numerous film offers. However, I haven't accepted them all, choosing my projects selectively. When Srijit Mukherji approached me for 'Padatik', I listened to everything and agreed. After all, Mrinal Sen was from Faridpur and is a renowned filmmaker of the subcontinent."

"We filmed 'Padatik' in 2022, and it was a challenging time for me because my father passed away during the shoot. Despite that, I continued with the filming. The director encouraged me, and I performed with confidence," shared the "Aynabaji" actor.

Although the actor wanted to attend the premiere of the film, he couldn't go. "I still hope to watch it on the big screen. 'Padatik' is a dream project for me and it's a film I deeply cherish."