Projapoti (2022 film)

Projapoti (lit: Butterfly, Bengali: প্রজাপতি ) is a 2022 Indian Bengali-language family drama film directed by Avijit Sen, produced by Atanu Raychaudhuri (Bengal Talkies), co-produced by Dev and distributed by SSR Cinemas. The film features Mithun Chakraborty, Mamata Shankar and Koushani Mukherjee in lead roles. The movie was theatrically released on 23 December 2022 and had its digital premiere on the streaming platform ZEE5 on 14 April 2023. It received a blockbuster verdict at the box office. Made on a budget of inr 15000000, it grossed over inr 130000000 and became the highest grossing Bengali film of 2022 and the third highest-grossing Bengali films of all time.

Plot
Gour aka Mithun a widower and a retired government officer, wants his son Joy, a wedding planner to get married. He tries a lot to convince his son to get married. But Joy is very busy with his work and has no time to plan for himself. Meanwhile, Gour's college friend, Kusum meets him suddenly in a temple and finally, they decide to marry. The Film was shot majorly in the Kolkata and some scenes were shot at Varanasi featuring the famous Ganga Arti at Dashaswamedh Ghat the oldest city of temples. The film also marks the reunion of Chakrabarty with actress Mamata Shankar, after a decade of their pairing in the National Award Winning film Mrigayaa.

Reception
A critic from The Times of India wrote that "As holiday releases go, Projapoti brings a lot to the table, be it in terms of cast, story or a family-friendly viewing experience and audiences wouldn't be remiss if they walked into the theatre for this, especially if they’ve ever been Mithun fans". A critic from OTT Play wrote that "Projapoti is an outright entertainer and it will not let you down in terms of entertainment. It makes you laugh and cry". Shatarupa Bose reviewing in Anandabazar Patrika praised the performances of Chakraborty and Dev along with other cast, music, cinematography, screenplay and dialogues and noted that melodrama at the end of the movie could have been toned down.

Controversy
After the release of the film, it was not allowed to be shown in Nandan Cinema Hall, in Kolkata, which is being operated by Government of West Bengal. Netizens replied that as the leading actor of the film Mithun Chakraborty is an active leader of Bharatiya Janata Party, the show has been cancelled. Following the decision of show cancellation, Producer and Supporting actor of the film Dev reacted by a post. In the post, Dev regretted for reply to that, Dev also reacted to sign more films again with the Bollywood's megastar under his banner (Dev Entertainment Ventures) if his budget matches. BJP member of Parliament Dilip Ghosh regretted that the movie has not been released in Nandan, because of Mithun's political status.

Box-Office
The film collected inr 130000000 at the box-office against a budget of inr 15000000 and hence was declared a blockbuster. The film earned an additional 5 crores by selling the satellite rights which was acquired by Zee5 OTT platform. It became the third highest grossing Indian Bengali film.

Awards & Accolades

 * 2023: WBFJA Award for Best Popular Film
 * 2023: WBFJA Award for Best Actor (Popular Choice)- Mithun Chakraborty
 * 2023: Filmfare Awards East for Best Actor (in a Lead Role)- Mithun Chakraborty
 * 2023: WBFJA Award for Best Actor (Critic's Choice) - Dev Adhikari
 * 2023: WBFJA Award for Best Comedian- Kharaj Mukherjee
 * 2023: Filmfare Awards East for Best Supporting Actress- Mamata Shankar