Devi Chowdhurani, which stars the legendary Prosenjit Chatterjee and Srabanti Chatterjee, has made history in Indian cinema as the first Bengali film to be officially recognized as an Indo-UK co-production status by both governments. This historic partnership establishes a new standard in international film production and highlights the strengthening cultural and artistic linkages between India and the UK.

Produced by Aparna and Aniruddha Dasgupta of Adited Motion Pictures (USA/India) in conjunction with Soumyajit Majumdar of LOK Arts Collective (India/UK), “Devi Chowdhurani” is directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Subhrajit Mitra.

The film is adapted from the classic novel by eminent Bengali writer Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay. It is about the life of India’s first female freedom fighter.

The music is by renowned composer Pandit Bickram Ghosh.

The UK co-producers of this ambitious film project ( one of the biggest in Bengali cinema) are HC Films and Moringa Studios.

The two most recent films from the collaboration slate of Adited Motion Pictures and LOK Arts Collective with an emphasis on global Indian cinema are the magnum opus and Joyguru, which is a film based on the life of internationally acclaimed mystic and singer Parvathy Baul.

Devi Chowdhurani’s formal co-production status is evidence of the strong cultural diplomacy efforts between India and the UK, which were made possible by the 2007 Indo-UK film co-production treaty.

On October 16, 2023, the concepts of both “Devi Chowdhurani” and “Joyguru” were shared by Soumyajit Majumdar at a historic reception at the Guildhall. Hosted by Mr. Munsur Ali, London City Corporation Chairman of Culture, Heritage, and Libraries, the event was graced by a distinguished assembly of delegates from the Cultural Ministries of both India and the UK. The assembly included Ms. Lily Pandey, Joint Secretary Culture and co-chair of the G20 culture working group (contingent leader), Ms. Hayley Raines (Team Lead, Cultural Diplomacy DCMS, United Kingdom), Mr. Vivek Gupta (Director, Ministry of Culture, India), Dr. Anirban Dash, Director, National Manuscripts Mission of India, Ms. Kanupriya Bhatter (Lead Consultant Cultural Projects and Partnerships, G20 Culture Working Group, India), Adrian Chadwick, Regional Director British Council (South Asia), and Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director East and North East India & in-post UK Lead for G20 Culture track.

This event brought to light the value of these Indo-UK partnerships in developing and fortifying cultural ties between the two countries. The distinguished delegates enthusiastically endorsed these initiatives, acknowledging that they could improve mutual understanding and cultural diplomacy.

The Indian authorities who played an important role in this landmark decision include the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, NFDC ( National Film Development Corporation), FFO ( Film Facilitation Office) , and Invest India, with the British Film Institute (BFI) and DCMS ( Department of Culture, Media and Sports) representing the UK.

Devi Chowdhurani is in the early post-production phase. The cast consists of Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Arjun Chakraborty, Darshana Banik, Bibriti Chatterjee, and Kinjal Nanda.

A great moment of pride for Indian films.

Priyanka Dutta