Bangladeshi actor Chanchal Chowdhury, who is basking in the back-to-back success of the web series Karagar and the feature film Hawa, is going to play Mrinal Sen in an upcoming biopic on the celebrated filmmaker. Srijit Mukherji, who will direct the film, made the announcement on social media today — on the fourth death anniversary of Mrinal Sen.

“On the day you left your El Dorado forever, few updates…” Srijit, the man behind films like Autograph, Baishe Srabon and Jaatishwar, wrote.

Shooting for the Mrinal Sen biopic is likely to begin in January. It will be produced by Friends Communication and Big Screen Production.

Speaking to The Telegraph Online, Srijit said the decision to cast Chanchal as Mrinal Sen was based on two factors. “They share similarities in their facial features. And Chanchal is a supremely powerful actor,” said the Shabaash Mithu director. Earlier this year, Srijit had praised Chanchal’s performance in Karagar and suggested that the actor “pledge his eyes to acting institutes for future generations to learn”.

In 2020, Srijit had shared his desire to make a web series on Mrinal Sen’s life. He had written the screenplay during the lockdown. Later, Srijit decided to turn it into a feature film. Mrinal Sen’s son, Kunal Sen, had given his consent to the project and also helped Srijit develop the script.

Mrinal Sen was born on May 14, 1923, and has made films in Bengali, Hindi and Telugu in his career spanning 47 years. Best known for his Calcutta trilogy — Interview (1971), Calcutta 71 (1972) and Padatik (1973) — Sen is considered one of the pioneers of alternate cinema in India. The auteur has been felicitated with several awards and honours, including the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke award. He has also won numerous National Awards for his films.

Chanchal Chowdhury, who is a known face in Bangladesh, became equally popular on this side of the border, thanks to his scintillating performance in Hoichoi’s original web series Karagar. Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s Hawa — starring Chanchal — was Bangladesh’s official entry for the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars). Chanchal has also been applauded for his work in films like Debi (2018) and Roopkothar Golpo (2006).