Several decades ago, Bengal used to produce some of the most significant films and filmmakers of the nation. Even before the triumvirate of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen made their mark, Bengali films were being remade not only in Hindi but Telugu and Tamil as well — ‘Pasher Bari’ (1952) was remade in Telugu (‘Pakka Inti Ammayi’, 1953) and Tamil (‘Adutha Veetu Penn’, 1960) long before ‘Padosan’ (1968) got made. Cut to the present day, and Bengali cinema is struggling to stay relevant. Plagued by stereotypical plots and dwindling patronage, most contemporary films from Bengal don’t witness the kind of success their predecessors found. But in recent times, a small, seemingly inconsequential Bengali film devoid of any star has been winning hearts globally.
‘Dostojee’, after having a successful run in its native West Bengal and a short but impactful release in several Indian cities, ventured to North America, the Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ajman), Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In 2017, Kabir Khan’s ‘Tubelight’ was touted as the first Bollywood film to be featured on the iconic Times Square billboards in New York. In 2023, ‘Dostojee’, a small, intimate story about two friends became the first Bengali film to make it to Times Square. Come July 28, it will be released in Taiwan.
‘Dostojee’ is a heartwarming tale of friendship and innocence set in rural Bengal. It talks about Palash and Shafikul, two boys who live in Murshidabad of the 1990s, right on the edge of communal tension. But the political turmoil always stays in the background as the film chooses to focus on the boys and their world. It follows them through the dirt roads of the village, traveling to and from school on a rickshaw-cart, splashing in the pond, trying to domesticate a caterpillar, grooving to Bengali film music from the ‘80s and being taught together by a home-tutor. Their houses are separated by the porous border of a bamboo fence, which they penetrate often. The minutiae of their lives form the throbbing heart of the film, until something terrible happens and the story takes a more sombre, if poignant, turn. It’s strongly reminiscent of other celebrations of childhood and innocence, such as ‘Pather Panchali’, ‘Children of Heaven’ or ‘Village Rockstars’, but ‘Dostojee’ has significant differences with these films and is quite its own thing.
But how did the film’s global conquest pan out? The film’s young director Prasun Chatterjee explains, “Our first international release was on March 17, 2023. It was a big release. Usually, Bengali films from India do not get a theatrical release in the US. In such cases, weekend screenings are the norm. Usually, theatres are booked on Saturdays and Sundays for a limited audience. At least, that’s how it is for Bengali films from West Bengal.”
‘Dostojee’, in contrast with this norm, was an official theatrical release on the same day across 75 cities in the United States and 15 cities in Canada. It was screened everywhere for all three shows throughout the week like any other mainstream US release. Prasun continues, “It opened at the Jamaica Multiplex, for instance, with four shows a day, 28 shows a week. It did well there. At the time, ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ was running. Imagine — in the heart of Hollywood, ‘John Wick 4’ was playing at Laemmle theatre, Los Angeles, alongside ‘Dostojee’! There are some properties which are Oscar-qualifying. Laemmle is one of those. Because of the coast-to-coast theatrical release, ‘Dostojee’ became eligible for consideration in the Main Cateogry at the 96th Academy Awards, 2024.”
But the goosebump moment for team ‘Dostojee’ in the United States was when their film was showcased in Times Square. “I couldn’t believe that a Bengali film’s teaser was playing on Times Square’s billboard. Tom cruise running, Brad Pitt shooting a gun, and squeezed between them, our boys from Murshidabad rowing a boat. I can’t forget that moment. I’d be eternally grateful to our American distributors. They spared no expense,” says Prasun.
The distributors Prasun has been gushing about is the California-based Bioskope Films LLC. Raj Hameed, the CEO of Bioskope, had utter and absolute faith in the power of ‘Dostojee’ to attract global audiences: “Dostojee’s universal appeal transcends borders, races, division among people. And that is why the film deserves a diaspora as well as the global audience — the film with that magical crossover appeal. Dostojee’s storyline, direction, cinematography and above all its simplicity is as pure as the bond it depicts…That is why the film deserves a shot at the Academy Awards. We did an Academy Awards qualifying run for the film, coast to coast at least two county week-long matinee and evening shows, a proper premiere, special screenings for the film critics and journalists, a push to get it to Academy Award members, attended late year festivals, and an exposure at the AFM (American Film Market) in Los Angeles.”
Much of Dostojee’s charm lies in the effortless performances of its lead cast, played by wonder-boys Arif and Asik, and the skilful direction of Prasun, who officially debuts as a director with the film. Prasun has a background in theatre, and his only filmmaking experience before this was making a short film called ‘Shades’ back in 2017. The story of getting ‘Dostojee’ made is so intriguing that it can be a whole other film. What can also make for a film would be the kind of experiences Prasun had showing his film across the world. “During the US release, Leena Yadav [the director of ‘Parched’ (2016)] was there in Hollywood. We met, she came to our LA premiere with some of her Hollywood producer friends. After the show, they stood their with blank faces. ‘You made us cry,’ they said. One of them was flushed, and Leena said pointing to him that he was sobbing so loud that the rest of them had trouble seeing the film. One of her friends asked me if I had submitted the film for the Foreign Language category. Not for this year, I said. ‘Let us know if you need any help,’ they said.”
A Russian journalist in the UK, while interviewing him about the film after a press screening, suddenly shut his recorder and burst into tears. He held the director tight and just bawled, drenching Prasun’s shirt with his tears. Turns out that the journalist had lost a daughter sometime ago — a daughter who faked the Cuckoo’s call, much like the kids in ‘Dostojee’. Another woman of 70 years, during the world premiere in London, came and hugged him for a good 20 seconds. She had just turned a widow and her kids stayed far away. Her classmate, another lady of the same age, had recently been divorced and the two of them lived together. This woman visited again the next day, during a screening at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, right on the bank of Thames. This time, her friend was there too. She introduced her friend to him. Prasun reminisces, “They kept elbowing each other, calling one another ‘Dostojee’ the whole time. It was so amazing. What else can I expect from my cinema? I don’t know if any of my future films will do this, but ‘Dostojee’ has, and I am glad.
