Navigating through the narrow, dusty lanes of Baruipur on the outskirts of Calcutta, we reached the shoot location of the upcoming period drama, Devi Chowdhurani — Bandit Queen of Bengal. Taking place on the massive lawn of an old zamindar house surrounded by trees, the Subhrajit Mitra directorial is an action-packed historical saga of the unsung first female freedom fighter of India. Produced by ADited Motion Pictures and LOK Arts Collective, the film narrates the journey of a simple village girl who eventually becomes the first Indian woman freedom fighter.
Prosenjit sat under the shade of a tree looking calm, engrossed in the character of Bhavani Pathak. Subhrajit explained the scene to him and action director Pradyumna Kumar Swain guided the legendary actor with the action sequence. The scene had four people fight fiercely before they stood in a circle looking agitated and protective of each other. As Swain said, “..and shot!” silence overtook an otherwise bustling set and one had goosebumps.
Prosenjit sported the look of an ascetic in the colour of revolt, red. Rudraksh necklaces and bracelets accessorised the look while the full beard with tints of silver and the long hair tied behind gave him a strong-willed and intellectual look. Meanwhile, Srabanti’s handwoven costume gives her the space to move and perform stunts. The sari is draped in warrior style and rudraksh necklaces and bracelets alongside shakha and pola play an important role in her costume. Since women did not wear shoes and sandals in that era and leather was strictly prohibited, Srabanti’s footwear is made of jute and tree bark. The long open hair and makeup with freckles and burnt skin go well with her character.
Arjun Chakrabarty was dressed in a short dhoti which made movement convenient for the fighter. Rudraksh was seen in his costume in the form of armbands too. His muscular gait and messy hair was nothing short of an enhancement to his rugged look. A prominent tilak completed it. Bibriti Chatterjee’s green eyes looked enchanting as the blue tattoos on her face and arms gave her an Afghan look. Her beige clothes made out of jute looked realistic and her hair of a messy braid added to the youthful flavour and valour of her character.
Prosenjit effortlessly acted in the action sequences and decades of experience were reflected in his shots. “I see Bhavani Pathak as a father figure who used to engage in physical rebellion earlier and now is a guide to others,” said Prosenjit. We witnessed Srabanti jump from a tree top to slash an officer’s throat. Bibriti and Arjun were in full form as all four of them put up a united front while fighting the British officers. Arjun also suffered a slight cut in a sword-fighting scene.
“Silence! Pankha!” were the recurring commands on set as the action director Pradyumna Kumar Swain was in his most energetic form.
Srabanti, Arjun, Prosenjit
“What I liked about this particular script was that Subhrajit has emphasised a lot more on the historical research. I have watched the previous film that was made in 1974 with the same title, and that is pretty much the same as Bankim babu’s (Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) novel. While acting in this film, the other film that keeps coming back to me is Moner Manush,” said Prosenjit.
Talking about the action sequences in the film, he added, “Actors like me who have done mainstream action films just have to see the art and script, that’s all. Moreover, the ones playing the role of fighters in the film are not actors, they are martial artists, so that brings in a major difference in their body language too. Our Rangaraj (played by Arjun) is fantastic. Srabanti is an excellent actress and so is Bibriti. A film on this topic with this level of historical research has not been made at national or regional levels. Today, if Kantara or Captain Miller went on to be national films, it was because they were rooted films. I believe this film can be a national film.”
“I love action films. I think I manifested that love for action films and the director and team have considered me as the right choice for Devi Chowdhrani. I am thoroughly enjoying shooting in this dusty forest setting and using harnesses to go up trees. Apart from sitting with the script and learning the Bengali that was spoken during that time, sword training and horse riding were some of the training sessions that I had to take. Our action director is a perfectionist and because of his great behaviour, it is very easy to work with him,” said Srabanti.
“Casting is a very intuitive process for me which begins at the time of inception. I guess a few factors play a crucial role in the back of my mind for deciding. First, they need to be excellent actors, that’s the priority number one. Then his or her natural beauty and screen presence. And next is their star factor. For period piece films I prefer to cast actors with similar physical attributes which are closer to that era. The film is about the revolt of ascetics and sadhus against the British Raj. From the very beginning of the conception of the film, Bumbada was my first choice.
The experience, intellect, expressions and passion reflected in his acting are irreplaceable. Srabanti Chatterjee as Devi Chowdhurani aka Profullo was a natural choice for me. We have many brilliant actresses in our industry, but she is the perfect choice for this most sought-after titular character, look wise as well as for her acting prowess. In the earlier days, sadhus frequented places like Shaolin and were masters of several forms of art. So every casting, every element has a lot of thought, research and logical interpretation related to it and we do not want to compromise on any aspect,” said Subhrajit.
“Preparation is always mainly script but this film needed us to train in sword fighting as well. Beginning from gestures to language, all of it has been taken care of. It’s lovely working with Bumbada. Working with Bumbada is very similar to working with Dad (Sabyasachi Chakrabarty). To work with these two legendary actors is a big thing in our filmography,” said Arjun.
Bibriti plays Nishi, a warrior. “She has an Afghani background. She helps Profullo become Devi Chowdhrani. The green eyes, snake tattoos, hairdo and jute costumes — everything complements the character of Nishi and gives her the final look. It feels good, and exciting. I learnt MMA, horse riding and Bangal language, especially for the film,” said Bibriti.