New Delhi, Nov. 27 -- If you ask director Srijit Mukherji at any point how many scripts he has ready to go, he'll give you a list without batting an eyelid. That's how he plans his slate. So, when EIMPA and the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India jointly rolled out new rules for Tollywood releases, his much-anticipated project 'Emperor vs Sarat Chandra' hit a logistical speed breaker.

The team had originally locked May 2026 for release. Since production houses, SVF and 'DAG Creative Media', already had other films slated around the same time, the new rule that a production house can't bring out two films together became a hurdle. But Srijit, being who he is, a director who doesn't wait around when creativity calls, moves ahead swiftly. Now, Pradip Kumar Nandy of Nandy Movies has stepped in to produce the much-awaited Bengali film.

Come January 2026, the National Award-winning filmmaker will roll cameras in Kolkata. The film itself couldn't be timelier. 'Emperor vs Sarat Chandra' arrives in the centenary year of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's iconic novel 'Pather Dabi', first published on August 31, 1926 and banned soon after by the British, calling it seditious. For Srijit, that history is exactly why the film matters today. It's his way of saluting 100 years of 'Pather Dabi'. "The landmark novel completes a century next year and that's what makes the film so relevant," said the 'Lawho Gouranger Naam Re' director.

Even though the production house has changed, the lead cast of Tota Roy Chowdhury as Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Abir Chatterjee as Sabyasachi, the enigmatic rebel at the heart of 'Pather Dabi', remains the same. However, there's a change in the leading lady with Mimi Chakraborty replacing Sohini Sarkar. Ask Srijit about the casting switch and he said it's the producer's call.

Do the new release rules creatively bother him, considering he maps out his entire year down to the shooting dates, we ask? "This is purely a logistics issue. I'm not obsessed with release dates. But yes, the schedules of actors, technicians and the whole team get affected and that's the tricky bit," said Srijit, who is set to direct 'Elementary, My Dear Holmes', an Indo-British co-production.

Meanwhile, producer Pradip Kumar Nandy is thrilled to join hands with the acclaimed filmmaker. "I had no idea the kind of political storm 'Pather Dabi' caused back then. The book was hugely significant in the freedom movement," he said. So, will they still aim for a May 2026 release? "Of course, we'll try. We have six films lined up next year. If Emperor vs Sarat Chandra is ready by May, we will release it," he said.

And about the casting change? Nandy extends full respect to Sohini. "She's a brilliant actress. She's done 'Ranna Bati' and 'Phera' with us. When I heard the script, I simply suggested that Mimi might also be a good fit. Also, we've never worked with Mimi before," he said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.