Exclusive | Bohurupi director Shiboprosad Mukherjee on what's next for Bengali cinema: ‘We have to tell our own stories’

Director duo Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy's film Bohurupi has become the third highest-grossing Bengali film of all time.

Directors Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy have ushered in a new wave of Bengali cinema in the last decade. With Bela Seshe, Praktan and Haami, the director duo have made a mark with their distinct, rooted stories about the trials and tribulations of middle-class Bengali families and their relationships. The director duo's latest, Bohurupi, which released in theatres during Durga Puja in October, marked a crucial departure.

Shiboprosad Mukherjee in a still from Bohurupi.

This was a film that was based on a real-life story of a bank dacoit, and how he carried out his heists through a detailed mode of disguises. A cat-and-mouse chase between a dacoit and a police, with real stakes. It was a risk that paid off big time. Bohurupi has now become the highest-grossing Bengali film of 2024 and completed 75 days at the box office on December 20. (Also read: Prosenjit Chatterjee exclusive interview: ‘What is Commercial Cinema? I also want to know’)

On the same day that Bohurupi reached this significant milestone, Hindustan Times caught up with actor-director Shiboprosad Mukherjee for an exclusive chat on the film's success and what needs to change in the Bengali film industry for it to make a bigger splash in the coming years. (Translated from Bengali)

Congratulations on the incredible success of Bohurupi. The film is about to complete 75 days at the box office and is already the highest-grossing Bengali film of this year. How are you feeling at this moment?

Shiboprosad Mukherjee in a still from the film, where he played the lead role of Bikram Pramanik.

You must have received a lot of responses after the release of Bohurupi. From the audience as the people from the industry and your close circles. Tell me about one such response to the film that has been special to you, that has stayed with you still.

My mother listens to the songs of Bohurupi when she wakes up in the morning and again when she goes to sleep at night. So, that for me is the biggest response. (smiles)

The success of Bohurupi has reached a national scale, which is far and few in between. Do you think it is a step towards more representation of Bengali films in the future?

Definitely! It is a huge response. The recognition that the film has managed to receive nationally… so many people have seen the film and given such a favourable reaction. They have gone ahead and shared their thoughts with us. That provides us with the strength to make more films in the future.

Even in terms of how a non-Bengali film is performing so well in Bengal, when do we expect the same response for a Bengali film in other states? What do you think should drive this change? Should there be more rooted stories like Bohurupi?

We have to tell our own stories, which belong to us. Not stories that are of someone else. We have so many stories in our land, in our language. There are so many of these stories that are still untold. Innumerable stories, there is no end. We have such a rich and varied literature, and we can try to take stories from there as well. We have such a great space for group theatre, a framework so strong and nourished, so rooted… we must take actors from that space. Even the actors who are working in our industry, the established ones, must be presented in a new light.

We have our own songs, songs that belong to our soil. These songs should be taken into consideration. Another big point which every Bengali must remember is that they must treat their own language as the best language there is. We must try to spread the good that resides in us. We must move forward towards this sense of celebration and accomplishment. Take a look at how the Malayali audience and how they celebrate the release of Malayali films like a festival… they we need to bring in with our films. If we don't then the steady growth of our language- which is so huge, spread across so many regions and around the world, that needs to be taken forward in a correct manner. We must consider how the stories of our Bengali literature, and Bengali artists are not told well, not celebrated enough.

What is next in store for you?

Next year, we have Aamar Boss up for release. We worked with Rakhee Gulzar and the film is ready. The film is in competition for the prestigious ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal at 55th IFFI. We are extremely proud of the film and the fact that it is the only Bengali film this year to have achieved this feat.

I am hopeful that Aamar Boss will also win the audience's hearts and they will also give the film a lot of love.