Pankaj Tripathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui - When two powerhouse performers meet

Pankaj Tripathi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Even as Bengali filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly is set to foray into Bollywood with Manohar Pandey, he has begun work on his second Hindi feature. The multiple National Award-winning filmmaker has decided to adapt his 2019 film Jyeshthoputro. While the original featured Prosenjit Chatterjee and Ritwick Chakraborty as two brothers, Ganguly is in talks with Pankaj Tripathi for the lead role. The director is apparently keen to cast Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the parallel lead.

A still from Jyeshthoputro

"The story was originally conceived by the late Rituparno Ghosh. It focuses on the quiet discord between two brothers - one, a reigning superstar and the other, an arguably more talented but unsuccessful actor. Since the film heavily relies on performances, Kaushik dada wants powerful actors to lead the narrative. He is awaiting a nod from Pankaj sir," reveals a source. In the meantime, the director and Gullak writer Durgesh Singh are working on the final draft of the adapted screenplay.

Kaushik Ganguly

When mid-day reached out to Tripathi, he said, "There's nothing concrete at the moment. It's difficult to say anything about a project that will start in 2022. There is a possibility of working with him. I love his work, especially Nagarkirtan [2017]. Let's see what the future has in store."