Houseful shows and rave reviews had signalled the box-office sweep of both Tonic and Projapoti. And now, after delivering the blockbusters, Dev, director Avijit Sen and producer Atanu Raychaudhuri have come together once again for a new film titled Pradhan, which will be a Christmas release. “Pradhan will be a very unique film in its own way. I have not worked on a concept like this before. It will be a first for me. It is unlike Tonic or Projapoti. It is a very exciting story. We are working hard on the script. It is shaping up really well,” says Dev.

Set in North Bengal, Pradhan sees the hit Tonic pair of Dev and Paran Bandopadhyay joining hands once again. However, Pradhan is not a sequel to Tonic or Projapoti. “It is an original story, which has no connection with Tonic or Projapoti. One will get to enjoy the chemistry between Dev and Paranda once again in Pradhan. It is one of the biggest attractions of the film,” says Atanu.

How did they zero in on the concept of Pradhan? “We wanted to break the pattern, keeping the essence in mind. We were working on a few ideas but finally zeroed in on the concept of Pradhan. The film is socially relevant,” says Dev.

Pradhan is a family drama, which will reflect on what is happening in society today. “People will easily relate to it. The film will also address a socially relevant issue. Pradhan will have a message. People will get to see themselves on screen. The film will be a mirror for the audience where they can see themselves. The audience will be able to identify with the characters,” says Atanu.

The film will be edited by Sujoy Dutta Roy and Subhadeep Das will write the dialogue. Talking about the bond that the trio shares, Dev smiled: “With success, you bond better! We have given back-to-back blockbusters. We trust each other and have immense faith in each other. That’s how the bond has grown stronger.” “The three of us have grown close.... we are like a family. We talk about everything. We understand each other really well. This trio is ruling Bengali cinema right now. Dev had reached his peak as an actor with Projapati. His chemistry with Mithunda was amazing. Pradhan will prove that Dev is the best superstar actor in Bengali cinema. Avijit has grown in confidence and is thinking large scale with this film. He is super confident now,” says Atanu. The shoot starts in July.