Srijit's Zulfigar a mash-up of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra

After Partition, a gangland drama. Srijit Mukherji is ready to roll with his next film after Rajkahini, titled Zulfiqar, which brings together Tollywood's biggest superstars, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev, for the first time and also offers another first -a narrative mash-up of two Shakespearean tragedies, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
Instead of the Roman Empire though, the film will have the shipping and docks mafia raj as the backdrop.While the cast is an ensemble, the biggest question is who play the three titular roles.The director is not willing to divulge that, but shared the cast details with us: Kaushik Sen, Jisshu Sengupta, Parambrata Chatterjee, Ankush, Rudranil Ghosh, Kanchan Mullick, Paoli, Nusrat Jahan, June and calendar girl Kyra Dutt apart from Prosenjit and Dev . Along with Caesar, one will see reflections of Brutus, Mark Antony , Cassius, Lepidus, Enobarbus, Calpurnia, Cleopatra, Portia, Octavia and a host of other characters in the film.
Srijit says he started taking interest in the darker side of the city during his Baishe Srabon days. ���People are quick to stereotype Kolkata by associating the city with Howrah Bridge, Rabindrasangeet, rosogolla, Durga Puja and Kumartuli, among others.Kolkata has a fiery underbelly , but that's not well-explored on the big screen. I want to give the audience a peek into that,��� he offers. Why merge the two plays? ���I always thought the assassination of Julius Caesar was structurally skewed,��� Srijit says. I wanted to introduce more plots and subplots and thought Antony Cleopatra was the best possible and option. I have merged the two timelines, which were anyway close,��� Srijit reasons. The director, who shares a special connect with the play Julius Caesar, adds, ���That's the first Shakespeare play I read. I was always tempted to turn it into cinema and even had a part in Autograph where Julius Caesar was being staged by Rudraprasad Sengupta and Bumbada (Prosenjit).���
With Zulfiqar, Shakespeare's timelessness and cultural relevance is proved again. This year itself, Aparna Sen and Anjan Dutt have adapted Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet respectively for the big screen. Both await a release.
This is the first time Srijit will be working with Dev, Ankush, Paoli and Nusrat. ���I am happy that they agreed to be part of the film. Also, bringing Bumbada and Dev together is no less than a cinematic event,��� he says. After a gap of a year and two films -Nirbaak and Chotushkone -Anupam Roy is set to score for Srijit yet again, while the DoP of the film is Soumik Halder.
Says Shrikant Mohta of Shree Venkatesh Films, which is helming the project, ���This is a very prestigious film. Only Srijit can pull off a venture like this, where two Shakespearean plays are adapted together. After Rajkahini, this film too has an ensemble cast, but the best part is bringing together the two superstars, Prosenjit and Dev, for the first time.��� The film goes on the floors on December 8 and will be shot in locations like the docks and slums.