Connoisseurs of cinema caught a glimpse into Mrinal Sen’s life as the teaser of Padatik, directed by Srijit Mukherji, dropped last week. Srijit, along with actors Chanchal Chowdhury and Monami Ghosh, were present at Nandan on the occasion.

While Chanchal looks like a doppelganger of Mrinal Sen in the teaser, Monami plays the role of Sen’s wife and actress Gita Sen. She begins with, “You’ll see, one day you’ll make films and when you make films, they are going to be of a different kind.” The sepia tone of the teaser immediately takes one back in time. The music given by Indraadip Dasgupta is a soul-stirring one, and the song Tu zinda hai gives goosebumps.

Mrinal Sen is not only a primary face of Bengali cinema but is also acknowledged as a pioneer of Indian cinema at an international level. The film is expected to highlight aspects of Mrinal Sen’s life in a holistic manner. It aims to show the trailblazer as a filmmaker, husband, family man, art lover and in several other lights, maybe unknown to numerous cinema lovers. Padatik was also the name of Sen’s 1973 film, starring Dhritiman Chaterji, Simi Garewal and Bijon Bhattacharya in pivotal roles.

Bangladeshi actor Chanchal Chowdhury said: “When Srijitda first told me that he wants to cast me for Mrinal Sen’s biopic, I was surprised because I did not think I was capable enough to enact such a personality on the big screen. But Srijitda was very persistent and here we are. The fact that I could be here as the teaser is being launched on his 101st birth anniversary is a matter of great happiness. Earlier I had only watched Mrinal Sen’s films but when I had to play him in his biopic, I got to know the multiple layers that existed within him... I got to know the person much more than the filmmaker.”

Chowdhury studied the way he walked, sat, stood, and talked. “To play him on screen, focusing on the details was imperative. Srijitda had given me videos that he got specially from archives, books written on Mrinal Sen and more. At one point my hotel room was covered with the films by Sen (laughs)! I also had to understand his perspective when he used to make or think of a film. During that time I lost my father and I was in mourning. It would not have been possible for me to do this film unless Srijitda assisted the way he did. I was anxious because to play such a big personality on a screen while being in mourning was a challenge,” said the actor.

Several people who knew Mrinal Sen as a comrade, writer and artiste were consulted by Srijit while making the film. Srijit said: “The amount of recognition that Mrinal Sen gets for the kind of filmmaker he was is not enough. He was a person who took Indian cinema to a global level. Moreover, not everyone is aware of his life beyond his films. Keeping all of this in mind, I decided to make the official biopic of the maestro and we chose his 101st birth anniversary to release the teaser. We wanted to release the film last year to mark his birth centenary but that could not be executed. We have depicted aspects of Mrinal Sen’s marital life, relationship with his peers like Satyajit Ray and Ritwick Ghatak, his bond with his son, his politics of cinema and multiple others. Chanchal Chowdhury was an ideal choice for the role. He is an excellent actor with experience and we have taken permission from Kunal Sen (Mrinal Sen’s son) for Padatik to be the official biopic. In such circumstances, a certain amount of resemblance between the person and the one playing him is necessary. I think as a film enthusiast and a student of cinema, Padatik is a learning process... and you are also making sure that the times around you are forced to look in the direction of the man who brought international glory to Bengali cinema and the man who called Calcutta his El Dorado. I don’t think he is celebrated as much as he should be and that is why Padatik happened.”

Monami, who looked gorgeous in a white sari, said: “We all know of Mrinal Sen for who he was as a filmmaker but not a lot of us know Gita Sen. We know her as an actor and Mrinal Sen’s wife but not in depth. We do not know about their marital life, their interactions and the way Gita Sen supported Mrinal Sen even before he actually started making films. While playing Gita’s role in Padatik, I understood these details closely and it is an honour. It was a challenge to break the image that I have as Monami Ghosh and become Gita Sen. I have not watched the film yet but those who have had positive reviews.”