Syama Prasad’s biopic in scripting phase, filming to start from September: Director Suchandra Vaaniya

Directors Suchandra Vaaniya and Chaandraoday Pal are all set to bring the life of Bengal’s legendary educationist-politician Syama Prasad Mookerjee to the big screen, with the project now in its scripting and research phase, and is likely to go on floors in September this year.

The period drama, tentatively titled ‘Shyama’, is on course for a theatrical release next year.

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“It’s a large-scale period drama, so the preparation is naturally more demanding. We’re currently scripting and conducting research, so that no significant point goes unattended. The film is expected to go on floors in September after the monsoon, with casting announcements likely to be made in August. If everything goes right, we are targeting a 2027 release,” Vaaniya, one of the directors, told The Statesman.

“This isn’t a conventional biopic,” Vaaniya said, adding that the film would explore the inspiring yet lesser-known facets of Mookerjee’s life rather than focusing solely on his politics.

Mookerjee was a brilliant student, became a barrister from Lincoln’s Inn in England, and took over as the youngest
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta when he was only 33. He served in the Union Cabinet of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as Minister for Industry and in 1951, he founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological precursor of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is now in power at the Centre as well as in multiple states, including West Bengal.

“I believe today’s generation barely knows about this man, his stature and it’s very important to bring his story to the fore. In my view, he played a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of Bengal and without his contribution, the West Bengal we know today would not have existed, and many of us could have faced the same fate as those who became part of East Pakistan during Partition. Whether one agrees with his politics or not, I believe his life, his convictions, and his sacrifices deserve to be understood and discussed,” Vaaniya said.

The filmmaker said her interest in Mookerjee stemmed from the research she had undertaken for a film on the Hindu activist Gopal Mukhopadhyay around 18 months back. However, she decided against pursuing it at the time, believing the prevailing political climate was not favourable.

The filmmaker said she has deliberately built her career around subjects that invite reflection rather than offering entertainment alone.

She said her earlier works, including a film on Tantric superstitions titled ‘Purbo Poshchim Dokkhin Uttar Ashbei‘, ‘Surpanakhar Agomon‘ and ‘Poroborti Station Begunkodor‘, were all driven by an effort to bring overlooked stories and misunderstood histories to the screen.

The movie is being planned as a Bengali-Hindi bilingual, with Vaaniya saying Mookerjee’s legacy deserves to reach audiences both in Bengal and across India.

While the story is anchored in the 1945–1950 period, it will also trace significant episodes from Mookerjee’s earlier years, including the Quit India Movement, while portraying his educational journey and family background.

It will also revisit important milestones in Mookerjee’s life and feature notable contemporaries such as Rabindranath Tagore, Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee, Syama Prasad’s father), Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Sarat Chandra Bose as the story unfolds.

Emphasising that authenticity of the story is non-negotiable, Vaaniya said the project draws on the research done by BJP MLA Tarunjyoti Tewari and scholars who have extensively studied Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s life
and philosophy, thereby ensuring the screenplay remains anchored in documented history.