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Ek Je Chhilo Raja is based on one of the most cited cases in legislative history

An heir to a sprawling royal estate returns more than a decade after he is presumed dead.

The official teaser of Srijit Mukherji’s upcoming period drama Ek Je Chhilo Raja is out.

Mukherji has previously worked on historical themes in Rajkahini (2015) and Jaatiswar (2014); this time, the teaser is proof he is taking his experiments further.

The teaser was launched on the 72nd death anniversary of the Bhawal sanyasi raja to commemorate the event on which the film is based.

Ek Je Chhilo Raja is about the Bhawal sanyasi court case of the 1930s that created a storm in the country and is one of the most cited cases in legislative history.

In the film, Jisshu Sengupta will be seen as the Bhawal sanyasi while Jaya Ahsan, Anjan Dutt, Aparna Sen, Anirban Bhattacharya, Rudranil Ghosh, Barun Chanda and Rajnandini Paul will play other important characters.

The teaser begins with the statement: ‘Laws dictate judgements. But some judgements become the law.’ An argument between Dutt and Sengupta in court can be heard in the background as the visuals gradually reveal a sanyasi, his scarred body smeared with ashes. His face is not shown.

While Dutt’s legal adviser presses the sanyasi to admit his identity, the latter claims to be maharaja Mahendra Kumar Chowdhury, who is thought to have died over a decade earlier, leaving the adviser shocked.

Mahendra Kumar was the middle prince of the Bhawal estate, also known as the Bikrampur estate. He was afflicted with syphilis and taken to Darjeeling for treatment along with his wife Chandravati Devi and other family members.

Mahendra Kumar is believed to have died in Darjeeling and been cremated there. However, 12 years later, a sanyasi returns to the estate and rumours begin to spread that the lost prince has returned. The sanyasi, too, claims to have survived murder attempts.

“The Bhawal sanyasi court case is among the most referred cases in history and has always attracted several literary and creative people,” the director said. “Ek Je Chhilo Raja is my tribute to that great king who rose from the ashes to win back his kingdom and kinsmen and will narrate the true events that happened between his life and death.”

The film is scheduled to be released on 12 October.