Kolkata, a city steeped in history yet constantly evolving, finds itself in focus in Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s latest release Mayanagar (Once Upon a Time in Calcutta), the trailer for which was dropped by the makers on Friday. The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival in the Orizzonti section.
In Mayanagar, set to release in theatres on February 7, Sengupta paints a nuanced portrait of Kolkata by weaving together the lives of its inhabitants. His story captures the friction between tradition and modernity in a city still coming to terms with its past.
The one-minute-52-second long trailer follows Ela (Sreelekha Mitra), a small-time actor, who decides to leave her husband, Shishir (Satrajit Sarkar), and move out of their old South Kolkata home after the death of her only daughter. The trailer also chronicles Ela’s relationship with her step-brother, Bubu (Bratya Basu), who owns a stage theatre in central Kolkata and resists selling the theatre to developers.
Mayanagar features an ensemble cast including Arindam Ghosh, Reetika Nondine Shimu, Anirban Chakrabarti and Shayak Roy. It is shot by acclaimed Turkish cinematographer Gokhan Tiryaki, known for his work with Nuri Bilge Ceylan in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.
The film is produced by Wishberry Films, in association with For Films, with Catherine Dussart Productions (of France) and DUOfilm As (of Norway). SVF is releasing the film theatrically.
Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s debut feature, Labour of Love, won the Feodora Award at Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section in 2014, while his second film, Jonaki, premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2018.
