Pradhan (film)

Pradhan is a 2023 Bengali language socio-political action drama film directed by Avijit Sen. The film stars Dev, Anirban Chakrabarti, Paran Bandyopadhyay, Soham Chakraborty and Soumitrisha Kundu in the lead roles. The action sequences in this film are designed by Aejaz Gulab. This film marks the third collaboration between Sen and Dev after the blockbusters Tonic and Projapoti. It is produced by Dev, Atanu Raychaudhuri and Pranab Kumar Guha under Dev Entertainment Ventures and Bengal Talkies.

The film marked the big - screen debut of Mithai fame Soumitrisha Kundu. It was released on 22 December 2023, on the occasion of Christmas weekend. It became a blockbuster at the box office running for 125 days in the cinema halls, thus making it the third consecutive box-office success for Dev and Avijit Sen duo, eventually becoming the second highest grossing Bengali film of 2023.

Cast

 * Dev as Deepak Pradhan, an Inspector-in-charge at Dharmapur Police station
 * Paran Bandyopadhyay as Jibon Krishna Sarkar, A retired teacher, later Panchayat Pradhan of Dharmapur
 * Mamata Shankar as Shanti Sarkar, Jibon Krishna's wife
 * Sabitri Chatterjee as Deepak's grandmother
 * Soumitrisha Kundu as Rumi Pradhan,  Deepak's wife
 * Soham Chakraborty as Bibek Ray, a sub-inspector at Dharmapur Police Station
 * Anirban Chakrabarti as Jatileshwar Mukherjee, a politician and head of Dharmapur village council
 * Kharaj Mukherjee
 * Ambarish Bhattacharya as Pradip
 * Kanchan Mullick as Ratan, a primary school teacher
 * Koneenica Banerjee as Shikha, Pradip's wife
 * Sohini Sengupta as Joba Mukherjee, Jatileshwar's wife
 * Biswanath Basu
 * Ananya Banerjee as Deepak's senior officer
 * Sneha Basu
 * Arindol Bagchi as vote counting officer
 * Sujan Mukherjee as Inspector Dutta
 * Debasish Mondal
 * Rupsha Chakraborty as Bibek's sister
 * Biswajit Ghosh Majumdar
 * Biswajit Chakraborty as Deepak's father
 * Tulika Basu as Deepak's mother
 * John Bhattacharya as Jiban's son

Development
Dev took to his social media handles to announce the film on 15 April 2023. The shooting was started from 25 August 2023. Both Dev and Soham went through huge physical transformation with cupping therapy and gym to lose weight for their roles in the film. On 10 November Dev announced wrap for the film.

Filming
The principal photography took place in Chalsa, Dooars, Samsing, Rocky Island, Mondol Gaon, Ranichera in North Bengal and Kolkata. During the shooting Dev fell ill and succumbed to high fever, but he recovered soon.

Marketing
An announcement poster was released on 25 August 2023 to mark the beginning of filming. On 10 November 2023, the first poster was released at a press conference at Nandan. The trailer was released on 4 December 2023.

Release
The film was released in the theatres on 22 December 2023 on the occasion of Christmas weekend.

Reception
Critical Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. The Telegraph India reviewed the film and wrote "Although the three-hour runtime makes it too long, the breathtaking cinematography, brilliant acting and well-placed songs elevates the film." Santanu Das of Hindustan Times wrote "The movie depicts the bitter reality of today's political and social scenario with a directorial infusion of surprise and intrigue. Although the film gets depictable, the cast has presented a commendable performance." Shamayita Chakraborty of OTTPlay reviewed the film and wrote "Pradhan is a perfect example of a Bengali commercial film that are not made today. It has Bengali sensibilities juxtaposed with high-octane drama." Sangbad Pratidin reviewed the film and praised the "acting of the cast and the directorial mettle."

Souvik Saha of CineKolkata rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "It provides a Bengali film with strong performances, effective direction and a gripping narrative. Despite some drawbacks like the length and weak comedy, overall it puts a positive impact." Virat Verma of Flickonclick rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film delivers a thought provoking message while keeping the audience engaged with its well-paced plot and strong performances."

Box Office

Pradhan grossed approximately ₹1.50 Crore within first five days of release. According to the film trade magazine Film Information, the film collected over ₹60 Lakhs from national multiplex chains only in West Bengal in its first week of theatrical run. At the end of 3rd week, the total Box Office of the film amounts to ₹4.19 Crore.