Pradhan (film)

Pradhan
Pradhan Movie Poster
Directed by	Avijit Sen
Written by	Subhadeep Das
Screenplay by	Shubhadeep Das
Story by	Atanu Ray Chaudhuri Avijit Sen
Produced by	Dev Atanu Raychaudhuri Pranab Kumar Guha
Starring	Dev Soham Chakraborty Paran Bandyopadhyay Soumitrisha Kundu Anirban Chakrabarti Mamata Shankar Sabitri Chatterjee
Cinematography	Gopi Bhagat
Edited by	Sujoy Dutta Roy
Music by	Shantanu Moitra Anupam Roy Rathijit Bhattacharjee
Production companies	Bengal Talkies Dev Entertainment Ventures
Distributed by	PVR Inox Pictures
Release date	22 December 2023 (2023-12-22)
Running time	162:36 minutes [1]
Country	India
Language	Bengali
Box office	₹7.56 crore [2]

Pradhan is a 2023 Indian Bengali-language socio-political action drama film co-written and directed by Avijit Sen. ^{[3] [4] [5]} Produced by Dev, Atanu Raychaudhuri and Pranab Kumar Guha under the banners of Dev Entertainment Ventures and Bengal Talkies respectively, the film stars Dev, Anirban Chakrabarti, Paran Bandyopadhyay, Soham Chakraborty and Soumitrisha Kundu in the lead roles. The action sequences in this film are designed by Aejaz Gulab. ^{[6] [7]} This film marks the third collaboration between Sen and Dev after the blockbusters Tonic and Projapoti. ^{[8] [9]}

The film marked the big - screen debut of Mithai fame Soumitrisha Kundu. ^{[10] [11]} It was released on 22 December 2023, on the occasion of Christmas weekend. ^{[12] [13]} It became a blockbuster at the box office running for 125 days in the cinema halls, thus making it the third consecutive box-office success for Dev and Avijit Sen duo, eventually becoming the highest grossing Bengali film of 2023. The film got its digital premiere on 9 August 2024 on Hoichoi. The film got its World TV Premier on 22 September 2024 on Zee Bangla. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

Plot

Newly married police officer Deepak Pradhan is transferred to Dharmapur, a remote village in North Bengal, on election duty. Upon reaching the place, he learns that the village panchayat is being headed by local strongman Jatileshwar Mukherjee for the last fifteen years. He forcefully prevents any opponent to file nomination against him, and as such, he gets elected unopposed every time. Deepak is tasked with conducting free and fair elections this time.

Upon inspecting, Deepak finds that every aspect of the village from the local school to the local police station is filled with corruption, all ultimately leading to Jatileshwar. Even his junior officers are on his payroll. The commoners of the village have been impoverished under Jatileshwar's dictatorship.

Deepak learns that his landlord Jiban Krishna Sarkar was the former headmaster of the village school. He was wrongly framed of theft by Jatileshwar when he raised his voice against his misdeeds. Deepak, along with his fellow villagers, inspire Jiban to file his nomination against Jatileshwar in the upcoming panchayat elections.

Jatileshwar and his goons try to rig the election by every possible means. On the other hand, Deepak and his juniors, now transformed under his leadership, try their level best to conduct a peaceful election. In their effort, Deepak's loyal assistant Bibek loses his life in riots. On the day of counting, Jiban wins the election by a margin of one vote, much to the happiness of the villagers. In the end, Jatileshwar gets arrested for his crimes.

Cast

• Dev as Deepak Pradhan, Inspector-in-charge at Dharmapur Police Station ^[17]
• Paran Bandyopadhyay as Jiban Krishna Sarkar, a retired teacher, later Panchayat Pradhan of Dharmapur
• Mamata Shankar as Shanti Sarkar, Jiban Krishna's wife
• Sabitri Chatterjee as Deepak's grandmother
• Soumitrisha Kundu as Rumi Pradhan, Deepak's wife
• Soham Chakraborty as Bibek Ray, sub-inspector at Dharmapur Police Station
• Anirban Chakrabarti as Jatileshwar Mukherjee, a politician and head of Dharmapur village council
• Kharaj Mukherjee as opposition leader and local cow milk seller of Dharmapur
• Ambarish Bhattacharya as Pradip, a tenant of Jiban Krishna
• Kanchan Mullick as Ratan, a primary school teacher
• Koneenica Banerjee as Shikha, Pradip's wife
• Sohini Sengupta as Joba Mukherjee, Jatileshwar's wife
• Biswanath Basu as Jatileshwar's Bahubali Party worker
• Ananya Banerjee as Anuradha Sen, superintendent of police of Jalpaiguri and Deepak's superior
• Sneha Basu as Jiban's son's girlfriend
• Arindol Bagchi as vote counting officer
• Sujan Mukherjee as Sub-Inspector Nilmoni Dutta
• Debasish Mondal as Jatileshwar's Bahubali Party worker
• Rupsha Chakraborty as Bibek's sister
• Biswajit Ghosh Majumdar as Jatileshwar's nephew
• Biswajit Chakraborty as Deepak's father
• Tulika Basu as Deepak's mother
• John Bhattacharya as Jiban's son
• Debnath Chatterjee as Returning officer

Production

Development

Dev took to his social media handles to announce the film on 15 April 2023. The shooting was started from 25 August 2023. ^[18] Both Dev and Soham went through huge physical transformation with cupping therapy and gym to lose weight for their roles in the film. ^[19] On 10 November Dev announced wrap for the film. ^{[20] [21]}

Filming

The principal photography took place in Chalsa, Dooars, Samsing, Rocky Island, Mondol Gaon, Ranichera in North Bengal and Kolkata. ^[22] During the shooting Dev fell ill and succumbed to high fever, but he recovered soon. ^{[23] [24] [25]}

Marketing

An announcement poster was released on 25 August 2023 to mark the beginning of filming. ^{[26] [27]} On 10 November 2023, the first poster was released at a press conference at Nandan. ^{[28] [29]} The trailer was released on 4 December 2023. ^{[30] [31]}

Release

The film was released in the theatres on 22 December 2023 on the occasion of Christmas weekend. ^{[32] [33]}

Reception

Box Office

Pradhan grossed approximately ₹1.50 Crore within first five days of release. ^[34] According to the film trade magazine Film Information, the film collected over ₹60 Lakhs from national multiplex chains only in West Bengal in its first week of theatrical run. At the end of 3rd week, the total Box Office of the film amounts to ₹4.19 Crore. ^[35]

Critical Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. The Telegraph India reviewed the film and wrote "Although the three-hour runtime makes it too long, the breathtaking cinematography, brilliant acting and well-placed songs elevates the film." ^[36] Santanu Das of Hindustan Times wrote "The movie depicts the bitter reality of today's political and social scenario with a directorial infusion of surprise and intrigue. Although the film gets depictable, the cast has presented a commendable performance." ^[37] Shamayita Chakraborty of OTTPlay reviewed the film and wrote "Pradhan is a perfect example of a Bengali commercial film that are not made today. It has Bengali sensibilities juxtaposed with high-octane drama." ^[38] Sangbad Pratidin reviewed the film and praised the "acting of the cast and the directorial mettle." ^[39]

Souvik Saha of CineKolkata rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "It provides a Bengali film with strong performances, effective direction and a gripping narrative. Despite some drawbacks like the length and weak comedy, overall it puts a positive impact." ^[40] Virat Verma of Flickonclick rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film delivers a thought provoking message while keeping the audience engaged with its well-paced plot and strong performances." ^[41]

Awards

• Most popular movie at 7th WBFJA Award, 2024

References

1. "CBFC | Search Film".
2. "Pradhan Box Office".
3. "Dev: 'সব কিছু ঠিক থাকলে...' নতুন জার্নি শুরু দেবের".
4. "Dev Film: দেবের 'প্রধান' ছবিতে রয়েছে কী কী চমক? হদিশ দিলেন পরিচালক".
5. "গোয়েন্দা দেব এবার পুলিশ অফিসারের ভূমিকায়".
6. "দেবের সঙ্গে শুটিংয়ের মাঝেই সেট থেকে ভাইরাল সোহমের 'প্রধান' ছবির লুক".
7. "আজ থেকে নতুন শুরু দেবের! 'প্রধান' পুলিশে নাম লেখালেন অভিনেতা".
8. "Soumitrisha Kundoo starts shooting for Dev starrer 'Pradhan".
9. "ফিরছে দেব-পরাণ জুটি, অভিজিতের হাত ধরে শীতে আসছে পরিবার 'প্রধান' ছবি".
10. "চলতি সপ্তাহে উত্তরবঙ্গে টিম 'প্রধান', ছবির নির্মাতারা কী ভাবে প্রস্তুতি নিচ্ছেন?".
11. "Dev-Soumitrisha to romance in the hills of North Bengal".
12. "Pradhan: Dev and company start shooting in Chalsa".
13. "পুলিশকে নিয়ে চিরাচরিত ধারণা বদলে দেবেন দেব! অভিনেতার 'প্রধান' লক্ষ্য কী?".
14. "Dev: With 'Pradhan' we want to break the pattern".
15. "Pradhan Movie- Dev: শেষ হল 'প্রধান'-র শ্যুট! টনিক'-র স্ট্র্যাটেজি কাজে লাগাচ্ছেন দেব- নির্মাতারা?".
16. "The blockbuster trio of Dev, Avijit Sen and Atanu Raychaudhuri have come together with the new film Pradhan".
17. "অধিকারি নয়, দীপক প্রধান, পদবি বদলে নতুন চমক দেবের! ব্যাপারটা কী".
18. "First Look: Dev in Bengali film 'Pradhan'".
19. "'Pradhan'".
20. "Pradhan Release Date".
21. "Dev's Pradhan wrap".
22. "Atanu Raychaudhuri about his memorable shooting experience of Pradhan".
23. "Pradhan shooting location".
24. "Pradhan: Dev is fine and the shoot is on, says the team from North Bengal".
25. "প্রধান শুটিংয়ের মাঝে শরীর খারাপ, রক্ত পরীক্ষা করানো হয়েছে দেবের".
26. "পুজোর উপহার তৈরি, ক্রিসমাসের তোড়জোড় শুরু করে দিলেন দেব, শুটিং শুরু হল 'প্রধান'".
27. "Pradhan': শুরু হল 'প্রধান' ছবির শ্যুটিং, প্রকাশ্যে নতুন পোস্টার".
28. "Pradhan: Dev, Soumitrisha Kundu, Anirban Chakrabarti, Paran Bandyopadhyay, and others gather at the poster launch".
29. "'সবকিছু ঠিক থাকলে...' চমক দেবের".
30. "ট্রেলারে দেব-সৌমিতৃষার মিষ্টি রোম্যান্স, বড়দিনেই মুক্তি পাবে 'প্রধান'".
31. "'এই হাত ঘুষ খায় না', অঞ্চল প্রধানকে হুঁশিয়ারি ইন্সপেক্টর দেবের! মিঠাইরানি এবার বড়পর্দায়".
32. "Dev Pradhan: টনিক টিমের ফের চমক! এবার ক্রিসমাসে আসছে দেবের 'প্রধান".
33. "ফিরছে দেব-পরাণ জুটি, অভিজিতের হাত ধরে শীতে আসছে পরিবার 'প্রধান' ছবি".
34. "কাবুলিওয়ালা পেরলো ১ কোটির ঘর, অনেকটা এগিয়ে প্রধান! দেবের ছবির ৫ দিনের আয় কত?". Hindustantimes Bangla (in Bengali). 27 December 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
35. "তিন সপ্তাহ পর ৫ কোটি থেকে সামান্যই দূরে প্রধান, কী অবস্থা মিঠুনের কাবুলিওয়ালার?". Hindustantimes Bangla (in Bengali). 14 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
36. "Dev and Avijit Sen's third collaboration is a compelling social drama".
37. "Dev shines in Avijit Sen's earnest and sincere cop drama".
38. "Anirban Chakrabarti is a showstopper in Dev-Paran Bandyopadhyay's drama".
39. "দুষ্টের দমন, শিষ্টের পালন! কেমন হল দেবের 'প্রধান'?".
40. "Pradhan Movie Review : A Riveting Bengali Thriller with Twists and Turns".
41. "Pradhan Bengali Movie Review: Compelling Moral Dilemma of a Police Officer".

External links

• Pradhan at IMDb