Prosenjit is all set to tie knot with Rituparna. And the announcement was made by none other than the two leading lights of Bengali cinema themselves, on Valentine’s Day to boot. The news naturally sent social media into a meltdown, with fans going berserk, given the turbulent history that the two stars share.
Obviously, the announcement was a unique promotional gimmick for Prosenjit’s upcoming Bengali film, but many fans feel it was a risky gamble given the duo’s patchy relationship history.
Once upon a time in the early 2000s, the two reigning Bengali actors were not even on talking terms and had decided not to work with each other. As news of the marriage spread today, the Bengali film industry and fans alike were taken by surprise. Though dates for the film seem not to have been finalised yet, Prosenjit’s sister actor Pallavi Chatterjee definitely has a big role in the event, though she isn’t in the mood to divulge much.
On Valentine’s Day, tweeting a digital wedding card, the Kakababu Protyabortan actor announced his new film, apparently titled ‘Prosenjit Weds Rituparna’. Only after reading the full text did fans understand that it was the promotion of a new Bengali film. The Prosenjit Rituparna wedding invitation card also mentions the name of the new director, Samrat Sharma. This one tweet created enough hype on social media and remained the talk of the town throughout Monday.
From Chandrasish Ray in Nirontor, Soumik Sen in Mahalaya to Abhishek Saha in Uronchondi, Prosenjit has always worked with new directors. Samrat has been working on the story for the last two years. Having worked in the non-fiction genre, Samrat has now written a romantic comedy, which has impressed both Prosenjit and Rituparna.
Also read: On Valentine’s Day, listen to Anupam Roy’s Putul Ami
“We could have shot the film a year back. But due to Covid-19, we postponed the shooting. We will soon go on floors in Kolkata,” says a source close to Prosenjit’s production house.
Sources also say that Prosenjit might have the smallest role in the film. Now, that’s a shocker. “The off-screen chemistry between Prosenjit and Rituparna has translated on screen. It is their 49th film together, but audiences will get to see them in a completely new way. Also, Prosenjit is not the lead actor in the film,” says the source.
Prosenjit and Rituparna parted ways after Jamaibabu Zindabad in 2001. Both the actors remained tightlipped about what went wrong in the relationship. There was no official announcement of their breakup either. However, the stars revealed that they weren’t keen on working with each other in several interviews.
Finally, in 2016, the ice broke as director Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay did the impossible. After 14 years, Prosenjit and Rituparna worked in Shiboprosad and Nandita Roy’s Bengali film Praktan, revolving around two ex-lovers. And just like old times, the audience lapped up the chemistry between the two. During promotions or while watching the film, it never felt that the two actors were ever separated.
Once the magical jodi was back on track, every Bengali director wanted to cast them. But Kaushik Ganguly got lucky. In 2018, Drishtikone happened and their performances won audiences over again.
