After the success of Drishtikone, Prosenjit, Rituparna Sengupta and Kaushik Ganguly have come together once again for Ajogya, that marks the 50th film of Prosenjit and Rituparna as a screen pair. “I’ve researched a lot, and at least I couldn’t find two actors in the history of Bengali cinema to have completed 50 movies as a pair,” said the director about one of the most successful lead pairs of Tollywood.
For Prosenjit, Ajogya is very special. “For any actor, I think it’s a pleasure to work with Kaushik Ganguly as the director. It’s also my third film in a row with Surinder Films and Kaushik Ganguly. Drishtikone was a superhit, and Jyeshthoputro was a superhit film and highly acknowledged. It’s going to be a third and very special as Ritu and I will complete our 50th as a jodi on screen. It only happens when the audience wants to see us on screen together. For years it has been the same. After the success of Praktan and Drishtikone, things changed a bit. Now the audience wants something more from us... not just as a stereotypical hero and heroine but for the actors that we are. As actors, we’ve transformed over the years. The language of cinema has changed,” said Prosenjit at Flurys on Park Street.
The poster of the film
Ajogya is a love story with a difference that was shot in Calcutta and Puri. “I feel so blessed. God has been very kind... the audience has given us so much love for all these years. It wouldn’t have been possible without the genuine love, demand and support from our viewers. I’m really indebted and grateful to them. I’m very fortunate to be working with a director like Kaushik Ganguly. Working with him is truly a delight. It was a huge responsibility to do the film and he has a lot on his plate, despite that he’s always all smiles. I don’t know how he manages to be so warm and happy for those around him. It’s my third film with Kaushikda and I hope I’ve lived up to his expectations. The story of Ajogya is beautiful and the script is lovely. I think Kaushikda has gifted us wonderful stories throughout. This film will touch people’s hearts,” said Rituparna.
The title of Ajogya is very close to Ganguly and it does justice to the film. The letter ‘A’ in Ajogya is written over a thumb impression in the logo. “You’ll understand the importance of the thumb impression only after watching the film. It’s a story about love, a kind of love that has never been told by me before. Rituparna and Prosenjit have never appeared in a love story like this one before. They’ve appeared in stories depicting extramarital love affairs, a stereotypical relationship, and a story of a married couple before, but not like the one in Ajogya. It’s out of the box and does justice to both their maturity and experience. They’re making history with Ajogya. The pair appeared together in Praktan and Drishtikone and both were massive hits at the box office, and I think they’ll complete their hattrick with Ajogya. Some of our technicians across the films are the same as well. It’s good to see that a pair on screen has been born with the talent to keep their magic intact for decades. I feel extremely overwhelmed and proud to be directing them and that my movie is a part of their 50th celebration. A big shout out to Surinder Films for making it happen,” said Ganguly.
Rituparna and Prosenjit had stopped working with each other for a decade only to begin their second innings with Praktan (2016). For them, the keywords are perseverance, sacrifice, and love for the craft. “Back then, the whole of Bengal would watch Bangla films. There was no urban-rural divide. Those days we would shoot for Baba Keno Chakor till 4pm and then from 5pm we would shoot for Utsab,” said Prosenjit. Rituparna would shoot for Paramitar Ekdin and Sasurbari Zindabad on the same day.
Prosenjit, Rituparna and Kaushik Ganguly
“It’s been more than two decades and it is amazing to see the craze around us. And people are very sensitive about our pairing. So much of brand association and identification is there,” said Rituparna.
Prosenjit also highlighted how the chemistry of the pair resonates with Gen Z too. “People constantly talk about the secret of our on-screen chemistry. Ajogya has a unique story and Kaushik is a master of storytelling. It’s wonderful to work with him because Kaushik is a responsible director and knows how to work with two mature actors. It’s got a wonderful story that’ll cater to all kinds of audiences. The music is really good. We’ve all worked very hard and it’s a big responsibility to match up to the audience’s expectations and love that they’ve given us for years,” said Prosenjit.
