Jio Studios and SVF Entertainment Unveil Trailer for "Athhoi," A Modern Interpretation of Shakespearean Drama- Othello The film is slated to grace the silver screen on June 14th! “Truths are illusions of which we have forgotten that they are illusions” --- Nietzsche Kolkata, June 06th, 2024 – Jio Studios and SVF Entertainment have released the highly anticipated Trailer for "Athhoi," just one week ahead of the film's premiere. The trailer offers an enigmatic glimpse into the human heart and society, promising a captivating cinematic experience. "Athhoi" captures the essence of Shakespeare's exploration of human emotions, portraying love, deception, and rivalry in a contemporary setting. It begins with a powerful depiction of the human existential crisis, examining the dichotomy of good and bad, and how society provokes these internal conflicts. The trailer sparks conversations about love, jealousy, and ambition in today's world, delivering a profound message on the concept of truth and challenging our conventional understanding. The film features a stellar cast including Arna Mukhopadhyay, Anirban Bhattacharya, Sohini Sarkar, Ditipriya Roy, Mimi Dutta, Arpan Ghoshal, Kaushik Banerjee, and other important cast – crew members. Arna Mukhopadhyay, the Director and the Actor breathing life into Dr. Athhoi Lodha (Othello), shared his thoughts, "'Athhoi' is a labour of love that has taken years to bring to fruition. With this trailer, our aim is to delve deep into the complexities of human emotions and present a modern interpretation of Shakespeare's timeless tale. Through this film, we hope to evoke profound emotions and reflections." Anirban Bhattacharya, who plays Gogo (echoing Iago from Shakespeare's original work) and serves as the Creative Director, expressed his sentiments, "We were clear from the beginning on how to create this Shakespearean world. Every shot division was meticulously planned, and our team worked tirelessly from pre-production to post-production. As the release date approaches, there is a mix of excitement and nervousness. We hope for the best." Sohini Sarkar, who brings to life the spirited and intelligent character of Diya, reminiscent of Desdemona, remarked, "Playing Diya was a transformative experience. This role allowed me to explore the depths of human resilience and vulnerability. 'Athhoi' invites audiences to question and feel, making it a truly immersive journey." Set for release on June 14th, "Athhoi" is poised to be a cinematic milestone, eagerly awaited by audiences worldwide. Through its innovative interpretation, the film promises to offer a thought-provoking exploration of jealousy, ambition, and love today.

Ek Je Chhilo Raja receives Best Bengali Film in the 66th National Film Awards

Kolkata, 9th August 2019 – The annual 66th National Film Awards bestowed the prestigious National Award for Best Feature Film – Bengali to SVF produced Ek Je Chhilo Raja, directed by Srijit Mukherji.

Ek Je Chhilo Raja is a critically acclaimed film which was a blockbuster; the biggest opener and the highest grosser among the Durga Puja films of 2018. It has subsequently been ranked among the top 20 best films in India last year. SVF and Srijit Mukherji have collaborated multiple times starting from his debut film in 2010, followed by a successful stint of 12 films to their repertoire.

SVF has previously bagged National Film Awards in the categories – Best Feature Film in Hindi for Raincoat, Best Feature Film in Bengali for Chokher Bali, Best Feature Film in English for Memories in March, Special Jury Award for Chitrangada and Best Film on Social Issues for Chotoder Chobi.

The film takes us back to that time when an extended court case in search of truth made the whole nation stay in awe. Ek Je Chhilo Raja is a subtle take on what happens when Feudal India meets Spiritual India. In 1909, British India was a heady concoction of feudalism and early nationalism. The incestuous relationship between colonial rule and princely fiefdom was starting to be challenged by the growing voice of the common man expressed through indigenous politics. It was a land of tiger hunts and boycott rallies, a land of fakirs and saints and kings and sahibs, a land built on the estuary of diverse civilisations. In this backdrop, a feudal lord is poisoned as a result of a conspiracy, but allegedly escapes cremation by slipping out of coma thanks to a miraculous intervention of the elements. 12 years later, an ascetic with uncanny physical similarities returns to claim his kingdom and takes on the British with the help of the common people, in a British court defended by a nationalistic Indian lawyer. What follows is one of the most incredible sagas ever to unfold in the annals of Indian Judicial History.

Essaying these powerful roles were versatile actors Jisshu U Sengupta, Jaya Ahsan, Anjan Dutt, Aparna Sen, Anirban Bhattacharya and Rudranil Ghosh among others.

Ek Je Chhilo Raja is a dramatised retelling of this remarkable true story which gives us a foray into how a 16 year-long court-room battle decided whether the dead king will rise again to claim his kingdom from the British or whether he will remain an impostor who pulled off the greatest coup in history?

An elated Mahendra Soni, Co-Founder and Director, SVF said, “This is a proud moment for Bengali Cinema and our Film Industry. I congratulate Srijit and the entire team of Ek Je Chhilo Raja for this stupendous achievement. SVF promises to continue providing its audience with a diverse genre of films!”

Srijit Mukherji added, “I am delighted that Ek Je Chhilo Raja won Best Bengali Film. Special mention goes to Jisshu Sengupta whose performance is truly “award-worthy” and Somnath Kundu, whose impeccable make-up brought forth the realness of the characters portrayed by Jisshu. It’s a triumph for the entire team and I hope we will continue delivering promising cinema to our viewers.”

ABOUT SVF:

SVF is Eastern India’s largest entertainment company, having business interests in Film Production, Television Content Production, Film Distribution, Digital Cinema, Music, New Media and Cinemas.

SVF has successfully produced over 120 films including National Award winning ‘Chokher Bali’, ‘Raincoat’, ‘Memories in March’, ‘Chitrangada’ and ‘Chotoder Chobi’; blockbusters like ‘Challenge 2’, ‘Chander Pahar’, ‘Zulfiqar’, ‘Yeti Obhijaan’, ‘Amazon Obhijaan’, ‘Guptodhoner Sondhane’ and critically acclaimed ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’, ‘Cinemawala’, ‘Dhananjoy’, ‘Asche Abar Shabor’, ‘Aami Ashbo Phirey’, ‘Uma’ to name a few.

SVF’s newest venture is Hoichoi, a one-stop online destination for Bengali entertainment – an on-demand video streaming Website and App with over 500 Movies and Original Web Series, Original Films, Original Shorts and soon, Documentaries. Hoichoi also added audio streaming section from April 2018. (The Hoichoi App is available for download on iTunes – http://bit.ly/iTunesHCDownload and Android – http://bit.ly/AndroidHCDownload)