A nostalgic reunion marked the launch of Haye re biye, the latest track from the upcoming Christmas film Khadaan. After a 14-year hiatus, Dev and Barkha Bisht are sharing the screen once again, rekindling the magic of Dui Prithibi.
The star-studded event at Park Street’s Flamboyant saw the cast and crew decked out in stylish black tees, each bearing witty references from the film. Dev, for instance, sported a tee that read Rajar Raja, adding a touch of humour to the occasion.
The evening was filled with fun and music. The cast grooved to the upbeat track, and Jisshu Sengupta joined the festivities via a surprise phone call from Dev. The talented singers behind the song also graced the event and actors Dev, Barkha, Anirban Chakrabarti and Sneha Bose grooved to their upbeat singing.
Against the gritty backdrop of Khadaan, Haye re biye emerges as a breath of fresh air. Composed by the talented Nilayan Chatterjee and sung by Abhijeet Bhattacharya, June Banerjee, and Sudip Nandy, this vibrant wedding number defies expectations. “This song is an upbeat one and is all about celebration! June Banerjee is back and I love the way she has sung the song. Devda likes to give a chance to newcomers, and Sudip is from Raniganj, the Khadaan area!” said Nilayan. While most wedding songs paint idyllic portraits of love, Haye re biye offers a more realistic, and perhaps even humorous, perspective on the complexities of marriage.
Fresh out of the success of Puja film Tekka, Dev looked energetic and ready for his next one! “Since the launch of Khadaan’s poster, I think people have been very curious about how Soojit landed such a magnum opus casting and how he convinced me to do such a story. So, me listening to the script of Khadaan has a very interesting story. Soojit had come to narrate a story to Rukmini (Maitra) and then I came to know that there is a story that he wanted to tell me too. I approached it casually but when I heard the story I knew I had to do it. Barkha is brilliant in the film and I had to be very persistent with her to get her onboard. Sneha and I met during Pradhaan and she perfectly complements Jisshuda. In fact, since the time we saw Sneha on the sets of Pradhaan, we knew that we would offer her the role in Khadaan. The character Anirbanda plays is a very powerful character and we wanted someone who can successfully depict that on screen,” said Dev.
An excited Barkha said, “It feels amazing to share the screen with Dev after 14 years! We are friends first and that is the foundation of our chemistry on screen.” When asked about the differences between working with Dev 14 years apart, she said, “His performance has matured over these years and even the character that he is playing in Khadaan is very different from whatever he has done earlier. The one thing that has not changed is the innocence in Dev. He was a superstar earlier and is now a megastar but the innocence has stayed intact!”
Khadaan director Soojit Dutta said, “Since childhood, stories about coal have fascinated me a lot! I have been researching on coal since 2015 because I wanted to do a story on it. As the writing progressed, I realised that this story demands a bigger project and scale. It was not easy to get this cast and budget but I can fill up pages on the amount of gratitude I have towards Devda. Even Jisshuda’s casting was done by Devda. I wanted this film to create magic and reach the nooks and corners of villages and cities. If this song seems to be a big one for the audience, I can promise you that there is something bigger waiting for you at the theatres.”
“People constantly message me on social media saying why they cannot hear me anymore and I have always maintained that this question is not for me but for the others! I am so grateful to Dev and Nilayan for thinking of me to sing this song. It is a wedding song and a folk number, something I had never sung before. It was a very fun experience,” said June.
The rugged coalfields of Damodar Valley provide the perfect backdrop for Khadaan, a powerful story of resilience and ambition. This visually stunning film, set to release on December 20, promises to be an emotional rollercoaster. The launch of Haye re biye has further fuelled the anticipation for this gritty exploration of the human spirit.
