Late Tollywood actor Abhishek Chatterjee’s last film Panchabhuj is set to release at Nandan on June 3. The 57-year-old actor, known for his work in the late 1980s and early 1990s in films like Pathbhola and Geet Sangeet, died of a cardiac arrest on March 24 this year.

Produced by Soumyen Chatterjee and presented by Shree de L’Art, Panchabhuj tells five fragmented stories. The film is inspired by Irish novelist James Joyce’s celebrated novel Ulysses and follows the story of Raghab, played by Abhishek Chatterjee, who lives in an ashram.

“Our film is segmented into five parts, you may think of it as five short films. Most of the time, our thoughts are non-linear and we tend to go with the flow. Raghab, who is an artist, wanted to make films and these fragmented stories are the culmination of his creative spark,” said producer Chatterjee.

The various segments of Panchabhuj have been directed by Debashree Chakraborty, Gargi Banerjee, Kriti Das, Srinjay Roy and Rana Banerjee, who weaved together these stories into one narrative.

The film also stars Koneenica Banerjee, Soma Bandyopadhyay and Debashree Chakraborty. The music of the film is composed by Chandan Roy Choudhury.

Rana Banerjee, who has previously directed films such as Drishyantar and Tushagni, said Abhishek delivered a top-notch performance as Raghab, who is very close to the residents of the ashram and whom the young children of the ashram learn to trust.

“Raghab spends most of his time in his head. He’s surrounded by a kaleidoscope of creativity. Characters in his environment seek sanctuary in the realm of his ideas. From there, you can find the answers to all of your difficulties,” said Rana Banerjee.

“At one time, Abhishekda was the busiest hero of the Bengali big screen. He has delivered the best performance of his career in this film,” he added. Chatterjee won the best actor award at the Port Blair International Film Festival 2022 for his role in Panchabhuj.

“Abhishek was a genuine human being. Despite being a star, he never threw tantrums. He was extremely polite to each and everyone on the sets,” remembered producer Chatterjee.

Panchabhuj was made during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and the majority of the shoot was done in the Sunderbans and Bakkhali.

Debashree Chakraborty, who has acted in one segment and directed another, said it was a thrilling experience to work during the partial lockdown.

Panchabhuj is scheduled to premiere on June 3 at 2pm at Nandan Screen 2 in Kolkata.