Tollywood roundup: Dev starts ‘Golondaaz’ shoot to Parambrata in another Bollywood film, here’s what made headlines this week

Whether it’s the first look of Dev as the father of Indian football, Parambrata signing his third Bollywood film, Jisshu shooting for ‘Durgavati’, the craze surrounding Abir’s next ‘Switzerland’; it was a week full of rumors and exciting news from the Tollywood industry. Here is a quick look at Bengali cinema's some of the most exciting news from this week.

Tollywood was greeted with some real good news on February 1 when we all got to know that Koel Mallick and Nispal Singh are expecting their first child this summer. In a social media post, an elated Koel broke the news to the world. On her Instagram handle, the actress wrote, “Through the rolling days of kicks, punches and somersault… the sound of a new life beating inside me. “Like a glistening silver thread woven into the fabric of my life, our child is longingly awaited this summer. (sic)”

Tollywood celebs took no time to react. Congratulatory messages flooded Koel’s comments section. Since then everybody was eager to know how a pregnant Koel who will soon complete her second trimester soon look like now. On Wednesday, the pretty actress shared the first picture of her baby bump on social media and we can’t stop loving it.

Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) is set to initiate an international campaign for the restoration of the ancestral houses of the great masters Satyajit Ray, RitwikGhatak and Mrinal Sen in Bangladesh. Following FFSI’s Central Executive Committee Meeting in Kolkata the decision was taken. FFSI will now campaign for preserving these three homes with immense historical significance to attract the attention of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and UNESCO. Film activists of Dhaka had earlier launched an appeal to the Bangladesh government for immediate renovation and preservation of these heritage houses.

Shooting for Dhrubo Banerjee’s new film, Golondaaj, started from Wednesday morning. Though the film is not a biopic, it is based on the life and time of Nagendra Prasad and the events that follow thereafter. Dev, Ishaa Saha, Anirban Bhattacharya and Indrasish Roy play the lead roles in this film. Dev will be seen as the protagonist Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari. He will play the radical, open-minded and prolific athlete who is responsible for introducing the concept of football among the Indians, with its roots from undivided Bengal.

Movie buffs in the city got a chance to enjoy a whole new experience from February 7 as Japan Film Festival is happening in Kolkata for the first time. JFF is screening 25 movies with English subtitles at PVR Cinemas, Mani Square Mall, Kolkata from 7 - 16 February. The film festival already enjoyed an overwhelming response in other cities like Delhi, Gurugram, Chennai, Guwahati, Bengaluru and Mumbai during the past few months and will now come to a close in with the Kolkata event. Classics such as ‘Your Name’, ‘Samurai Shifters’, ‘Weathering With You’ and ‘Shoplifters’ are among other Japanese films which are being screened.

Arindam Bhattacharya’s previous two films ‘Antarleen’ and ‘Flat No. 609’ were lapped up by the audience and now the talented filmmaker is ready to offer another dark thriller titled ‘Antardhaan’. The film had grabbed attention ever since it was announced. Now, the first-look teaser from the upcoming thriller is out. While Parambrata Chatterjee and Tnusree Chakraborty play the lead, the rest of the cast is also an ensemble one that includes noted actors Mamata Shankar, Sujan Neel Mukherjee, Rajatava Dutta, and Harsh Chhaya among others. The thriller has been shot in some serene locations of Himachal Pradesh. The thriller has finally locked its release date and it is April 17 this year.

After receiving accolades for his stellar act in ‘Kahaani’ and ‘Pari’, Parambrata Chattopadhyay is set for her third Hindi film Anshuman Jha's upcoming film ‘Lord Curzon Ki Haveli’ which will see the actor-director opposite Rasika Dugal. Anshuman Jha who played a key role in Dibakar Banerjee's ‘Love Sex Aur Dhoka’ will mark his directorial debut with this upcoming comedy-thriller. Writtten by Bikas Mishra, the film also stars Arjun Mathur and Tannishtha Chatterjee in the lead. If all goes according to plan, ‘Lord Curzon Ki Haveli’ will go on floors in February with the first schedule in London.

Director Raja Chanda was scheduled to shoot in Thailand with Ankush and Nusrat Faria for his upcoming thriller ‘Bhoy’ but the coronavirus chaos he has called off the outdoor schedule. After all team’s safety comes first. The shoot has already been shifted to Darjeeling. “Shooting for Bhoy has been shifted to Darjeeling now. My cast and crew’s safety comes first for me,” said Raja. In the upcoming thriller, Nusraat Faria will be seen as the female lead who is Ankush's autistic sister’s teacher helping the protagonist to overcome his fear.

This is the first time, Rukmini Maitra will be seen in a film where Dev hasn’t been cast opposite her neither he is part of the venture. This is also the first time, the talented actress is paired opposite Abir Chatterjee in Sauvik Kundu’s directorial debut ‘Switzerland’ which is being made under the banner of Jeet’s home production. The first-look poster from the upcoming family drama is out now and it beautifully captures the wishes and ambitions of a middle-class family. ‘Switzerland’ has already gone on the floors and is being shot in Kolkata. There will also be a Switzerland schedule. If all goes according to plan, the film will release this summer.

Adil Hussain plays one of the leads in Tushar Tyagi and Ritika Jayaswal’s short film ‘Saving Chintu’ opposite model-actress Dipannita Sharma. The cast also includes Bollywood-based American actor Edward Sonnenblick and Los Angeles-based actor Sachin Bhatt. ‘Saving Chintu’ revolves around an Indian-American gay couple who are in India to adopt a child. The film sheds light on the challenges faced by LGBTQ community and also brings more complex issues like like child adoption and HIV to perspective.

We already know Jisshu Sengupta will be seen opposite Bhumi Pednekar in his third Bollywood venture ‘Durgavati’. The upcoming horror flick ‘Durgavati’ is the Hindi remake of Telugu hit ‘Bhaagamathie’ that starred Anushka Shetty in the lead. The Tollywood hunk has already started shooting for the film being directed by G Ashok who also helmed the Telugu film. Jisshu recently shared some candid pictures from the sets as you can see the popular actor going through the script in between the night shoot and fans can’t stop loving it. Durgavati is co-produced by Akshay Kumar, T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment and follows the story of an IAS officer trapped inside a haunted house, where she gets possessed by a spirit.