Swastika, Paoli, Anirban & Subrat star in ‘Bibi Payra’

Does manifestation really work? For actress Swastika Mukherjee, it certainly did. She had long wished to share the screen with Anirban ‘Eken’ Chakrabarti and now, they are coming together in director Arjunn Dutta’s new Bengali film, ‘Bibi Payra’. Adding to the excitement, Arjunn has pulled off a casting coup by bringing in another powerhouse performer, Paoli Dam, who will be paired with Subrat Dutta. Interestingly, Swastika and Paoli last shared the screen in Mainak Bhaumik’s ‘Family Album’ (2015), where both received much acclaim.

Arjunn, known for his nuanced portrayal of women’s lives in ‘Abyakto’, ‘Guldasta’ and ‘Shrimati’, once again focuses on female narratives - but this time, on unempowered suburban women. However, ‘Bibi Payra’ isn’t a conventional women-centric film. It’s a comedy of errors exploring how two women (Swastika and Paoli) navigate unfavourable circumstances, turning them in their favour through a series of unpredictable events.

“This film is special for many reasons - it’s my shift from urban storytelling to a suburban setting, the reunion of Swastika and Paoli after a decade and my first attempt at a comedy of errors,” said Arjunn.

Swastika, collaborating with Arjunn for the third time after ‘Guldasta’ and ‘Shrimati’, said, “This role perfectly completes our hattrick. Working with such talented actors is an added bonus.” Paoli, too, was instantly drawn to the script. “Roles like these aren’t written every day,” she said, thanking producer Pradip Nandy for backing the project.

For Anirban, this marks his first collaboration with Arjunn. “It’s a departure from his usual style. I’ve worked with Swastika, Paoli and Anindya separately, but this combination is fresh and exciting,” he said. Subrat added that he had been in talks with Arjunn for a while and he was glad this film finally happened.

Written by Arjunn and Ashirbad Maitra, ‘Bibi Payra’ goes on floors at the end of February. The cast also includes Ankita Majhi, Bhabani Mukherjee and Loknath Dey. Meanwhile, Arjunn’s other film, ‘Deep Fridge’, starring Abir Chatterjee and Tanushree Chakraborty, is awaiting release.