New Delhi, Apr 23 (Representative) Bengali superstar Jeet, who has set the Hindi market by storm with the adrenaline-pumping action film ‘Chengiz’, feels that if the movie gets a good reception, then it will give a boost to the Bengali film industry, as more money will be invested in movies made in the language. ‘Chengiz’ is the first ever Bengali film that has been simultaneously released in Hindi. While several films from the South have been released in the Hindi language, ‘Chengiz’ is a first for the Bengali film industry which is now desperately trying to make inroads into a bigger market. With Jeet playing the title role, the film also stars Shataf Figar, Susmita Chatterjee and Rohit Bose Roy in key roles and revolves around the underworld fabric of erstwhie Calcutta (as Kolkata was then called) from the 70’s to the mid-90’s. The film captures and chronicles the journey of ‘Chengiz’, an underworld kingpin who ruled the streets.In an interaction with UNI, Jeet talked about the pan-India release, the preparation, budget, journey and lot more. AA Films, which brought blockbusters like ‘KGF’, ‘Baahubali’, ‘Robot’ and ‘Kantara’, among others to the Hindi market, has now got ‘Chengiz’ under its banner.”it’s not a very big budget film, especially in comparison to South movies. But in our market, THE Bengali industry, our house– this is the biggest film we have produced. If ‘Chengiz’ gets a good reception, if it’s liked and loved by the people, perhaps we will also spend more money. Our thought process will also undergo a complete change.”
“I am extremely excited, glad and happy that the film is being released to a wider audience. Its a rags to riches story, a very popular genre in filmmaking, and we liked the script very much when it was narrated to us. And the way the story shaped up… while the structure was happening. Neeraj Pandey joined the project, and that added a lot of value to it,” he said. “Some of the cast, technicians who are from outside West Bengal, like Rohit Roy joined our cast.. So adding all these things together, the setup became great. Then we thought we should take our movie to Hindi audiences also. We have been working for such a long time but our work reaches only the Bengali audiences IN West Bengal and Bangladesh. So we reached out to Anil Thadani. We completed the movie, dubbed it in Hindi and showed it to Mr Thadani. he liked it and our work became easy, and now you see it has been released in Hindi,” said the 52-year-old actor.Jeet is all-guns blazing in the Hindi trailer that introduces audiences to Chengiz and his colourful lethal world. Apart from the intense action and fight sequences, thumping background score and whistle-worthy dialogues, the actor is seen in an entirely different deadly yet chic avatar in this thrilling mass entertainer.
On what excited him to play this role, the ‘Josh’ fame actor said, “the genre, the time period it caters to, and the way the story is woven. The story is full of excitement and thrill. There will be many questions about “What’s Next”. It’s an edge of the seat thriller. The movie will take you in the mid 70s to mid 90’s Bengal’s underworld. The movie is completely fictionalized and not inspired from anyone/anywhere. It’s purely the writer-director’s own thoughts.”Asked about his approach to a new project, Jeet said, “Whenever I approach any new project I start with zero. These tags of star/superstar vanishes when you meet your dear and near ones. I don’t have a habit of carrying these tags. People think so about us, that’s their love. But I don’t keep that inmind.”The ‘Kranti’ actor said he is pretty content with his journey as an actor. “Ups and downs, hits and misses all are part and parcel of life. I am pretty content with whatever I have done. So far, God has been kind. I keep thinking about what next i can do, what i can add to my industry, What new can i bring to my audience. “Jeet also said that he wants to work with Rajkumar Hirani and SS Rajamouli. Produced by Jeet, Gopal Madnani and Amit Jumrani, ‘Chengiz’ has been directed by Rajesh Ganguly who has also worked on the dialogues and screenplay. Based on a story by Neeraj Pandey and Rajesh Ganguly, the film was released on Friday.