“I could not think of any other actor to play Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikary other than Dev. If you look at his pictures, Dev has a great resemblance to the person. And the way Dev has broken himself as an actor to fit in the character is worth mentioning. He was wounded multiple times during the shoot and yet he continued without complaining. This speaks a lot about Dev” said director Dhrubo Banerjee at the teaser launch of Golondaaj.

The much-awaited Bengali film Golondaaj is a fictional account based on the life of the legendary Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikary who is known as the Father of Indian Football. He was noted for introducing the game of football in the country.

Dev will be seen in the role of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikary. “We all have big dreams. Most of us want to turn these big dreams of making films into reality. But how many of us can achieve them? I will like to congratulate the director for being able to achieve this. It has been an honor to be a part of this project. We will be seen onscreen but there are so many people who have worked equally hard behind the cameras to make this film” said Dev.

Apart from Dev and the director, Ishaa Saha, Anirban Bhattacharya, John Bhattacharya, Srikanto Acharya, Indrashish Ray, Alexx O Nell, Joydeep Mukherjee, and others also graced the event.

“I am one of the privileged cast members in the film as I did not get hurt during the shoot of the film. But we had to get up early and then travel for two hours to reach the spot. Then it took a long time to get the make-up done as the hairstyling and the style of wearing the saris was different. However, it has been a great experience as we shot before the pandemic and even after the lockdown. However, no one will be able to tell the difference” said Ishaa.

Dhrubo Banerjee said that most audiences like to think that sports films like Lagaan or Chak De India can only be made in Bollywood. However, with this film, the Bengalis will understand that a sports film can also be made in Bengal. They will feel proud of this man whose contributions are not much known among the present generation of Bengalis.

Dev praised Ishaa and said, “She did a fantastic job. Whenever the director asked her for a retake, she will do so without any complaints. And she has the power to give different expressions you ask from her”.

Anirban Bhattacharya said “The film will be a milestone not only for Bengali films but also for the Indian films as well. Even during this pandemic, the team took the challenge to shoot the film and complete it with so much enthusiasm. At a time when people are not willing to go to the halls to watch a film, Golondaaj will surely change their minds”.

There are many new actors who will be seen in the different roles. Dev praised them and even asked the directors and casting directors to watch the film simply to look at these talented newcomers.

The film is slated to release this Independence Day.

Priyanka Dutta