Mithun Chakraborty, who plays a Naxalite in Debaditya Bandopadhyay's upcoming Bengali film, Naxal, won't be promoting the film before its release. The film releases on June 5. When contacted, Bandopadhyay told HT, "I tried to convince Mithun da to promote the film because he plays the protagonist. But he messaged me a few days ago informing about his unavailability. However, he wished me luck for the film." Now that Mithun will be unavailable for the promotion, Bandopadhyay has decided not to hold any press meet for the film. The actor was also admitted to the hospital a few days ago after complaining of poor health and was discharged recently. HT tried to get in touch with Mithun but couldn't reach the actor.
As the name of the film suggests, Naxal revolves around the famous Naxalbari uprising, where police open fired on a group of villagers killing 11 of them on May 25, 1967 at Bengai Jote village in Naxalbari. However, Bandopadhyay says that it's not a period film. "As kids we have heard so many things about the Naxalbari movement. So, it's more like nostalgia for me. Mithun da plays Anirban Sen, who is one of the few Naxalite youths who escaped on May 21, 1971. But he reappears after 42 years. He is now a retired government employee," says Bandopadhyay, whose last film was 8.08 er Bangoan Local, which too was based on a real-life incident that of the Rajiv Das murder case in Barasat.
Naxal also stars Dhritiman Chatterjee, who plays Siddhartha, the head of a television news channel. Siddartha and Anirban were once friends and part of the Naxalite movement. "The film also highlights the story of friendship and betrayal," says Bandopadhyay.
{{/usCountry}}Naxal also stars Dhritiman Chatterjee, who plays Siddhartha, the head of a television news channel. Siddartha and Anirban were once friends and part of the Naxalite movement. "The film also highlights the story of friendship and betrayal," says Bandopadhyay.
{{/usCountry}}The director is happy that the censor board hasn't had any problem with the content. "They only asked me to delete a scene where I'd a shown a horse-drawn carriage," he smiles.