India News | Freedom Fighter Bagha Jatin's Biopic to Hit Screens in Durga Puja

Kolkata, Jul 15 (PTI) A biopic of freedom fighter Jatindranath Mukhopadhyay, popularly known as 'Bagha Jatin', will hit the screens across West Bengal this Durga Puja, with actor Dev essaying the lead role.

Director Arun Roy, who had earlier made period films such as '8/12 Binay Badal Dinesh' and 'Egaro', told PTI on Saturday that he has always been fascinated by the freedom struggle.

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Jatindranath Mukhopadhyay died on September 10, 1915 after a fierce gun-battle with the British Police in the forests of Mayurbhanj in present-day Odisha.

A member of revolutionary groups such as Yugantar and Anushilan Samiti, Bagha Jatin died at 35.

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Roy said the film titled 'Bagha Jatin', which will be released in Bengali and dubbed in Hindi, focuses on how Mukhopadhyay was enthused by the revolutionary spirit.

Mukhopadhyay earned the name 'Bagha Jatin' after single-handedly killing a tiger that had strayed into his Kayagram village in present-day Bangladesh in 1906, he said.

"The film shows him drawing to revolutionary activities, spreading the network across undivided Bengal and coming in contact with Germans to procure arms and ammunition through the sea route. The movie ends with the gun-battle as the British get wind of the plan to procure the weapons from the Germans on the east coast," he said.

The movie has been shot at Balasore in Odisha, Kolkata and also other parts of West Bengal.

Asked about the reason behind casting Deepak Adhikary, popularly known as Dev, in the lead role, Roy said, "He perfectly fits into the image of Bagha Jatin. He had been preparing himself for the role for over six months. From expressions to delivering dialogues, Dev has worked hard to delve into the character."

Roy said the movie has action sequences and emotional quotient as well as drama.

Dev, in a tweet, said, "In a world dominated by oppression and tyranny, destruction looms inevitably. However, all it takes is one courageous saviour to put an end to these atrocities. For the first time ever, we bring you the immortal tale of India's beloved son, Bagha Jatin, on the grand cinema screen." "On the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja and Navratri, we proudly present 'Bagha Jatin', the biggest production to date by Dev Entertainment Ventures, coming soon to theaters," he said.

'Bagha Jatin' will be Dev's second period film. In 2021, he had starred in Dhrubo Banerjee's 'Golondaaj', a biopic of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari, the doyen of Indian football.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)