Entertainment Desk:

“Putulnacher Itikatha” (The Puppet’s Tale), starring Jaya Ahsan, is finally set to hit theatres on August 1. Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, the long-awaited adaptation of Manik Bandopadhyay’s iconic novel features Jaya in the role of Kusum, alongside Abir Chatterjee as Shashi and Parambrata Chatterjee as Kumud.

The film, which had its world premiere earlier this year at the Rotterdam Film Festival, was initially conceptualised in 2008. Marking the 90th anniversary of the novel’s publication, the story is set during the late 1930s to early 1940s, slightly advanced from the novel’s original timeline to ensure broader audience accessibility.

Director Suman Mukhopadhyay had long dreamt of adapting the story for the big screen, inspired by seeing his father, Arun Mukhopadhyay, stage the novel as a play.

“When I couldn’t make the film even after 14 years, I nearly gave up. But a line from Nabarun-da’s novel brought me back—’…the story of those disheartened and broken people who lived like puppets—Putulnacher Itikatha.’ It felt so relevant to our times,” the director shared on social media. The film’s production finally resumed in 2022 and is now ready for release.

Meanwhile, Jaya Ahsan remains busy with film promotions. Following the Eid releases of “Taanob” and “Utshob” in Dhaka, her next film “Dear Maa”, directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, is set for release in West Bengal on July 18.

She has also recently wrapped up shooting for Kaushik Ganguly’s “Ajo Ardhagini”, the sequel to “Ardhagini”, released two years ago. Jaya stars alongside Kaushik Sen and Churni Ganguly once again, with Indrashish Roy joining the cast for this new chapter, expected to release later this year.