Srijit Mukherji | |
|---|---|
 Mukherji at screening of Begum Jaan | |
| Born | (1977-09-23)23 September 1977 (age 48) |
| Education | Presidency University, Kolkata University of Calcutta Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Arati Mukhopadhyay (Aunt) |
Srijit Mukherji (born 23 September 1977) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works inBengali cinema. His regular collaboration with veteran actorProsenjit Chatterjee brought him into the limelight. His first feature filmAutograph (2010), was a critical and commercial success, where he had written the script with Chatterjee in mind. His fifth film,Jaatishwar, won four national awards at India's61st National Film Awards (2014). He won theNational Film Award for Best Direction andBest Original Screenplay for his sixth film,Chotushkone, at India's 62nd National Film Awards.[1] His eighth film,Rajkahini had been remade into a Hindi film titled,Begum Jaan, starringVidya Balan in 2017. His 2018 releaseEk Je Chhilo Raja won the 'Best Bengali Film' Award at India's66th National Film Awards. His 2019 filmGumnaami won him the Best Bengali Film andBest Adapted Screenplay Awards at the67th National Film Awards.[2]
Mukherji was born and brought up in Bhawanipore in Kolkata. He completed his schooling till 10th standard from Dolna Day School, Kolkata[3] and 12th fromSouth Point School,Kolkata,[4] before studying BA economics atPresidency College, Kolkata. He went on to complete his MA and MPhil inenvironmental economics atJawaharlal Nehru University,[5] parallelly working as a social scientist in the Urban Transport and Pollution Sector withTERI inNew Delhi. He quit his Ph.D. while in his first year, to joinIRI Symphony,Bangalore as an econometrician and business analyst. After working in Bangalore and a brief stint inDelhi, he quit his job to actively pursue theatre and films.[6]
Even while working as an economist and statistician, he was actively involved with the English professional theatre circuit inDelhi and Bangalore. He has acted inMadness, adapted fromPaulo Coelho'sVeronica Decides To Die;Manoj Mitra'sThe Orchard of Banchharam;Badal Sircar'sThe Other Side of History; Sunil Ganguly'sPratidwandi – The Adversary, adapted for the stage fromSatyajit Ray'sfilm of the same name andLucknow 76. He wrote and directedMindgame, an Indian adaptation ofReginald Rose'sTwelve Angry Men, at the Alliance Francaise De Bangalore in 2006. In April 2008, he formed his own troupe, Pandora's Act, whose first production,Feluda Pherot! at Rangashankara in July 2008 was a runaway success and was the first ever non-canonical dramatisation of Satyajit Ray's sleuthFeluda.[5]Barun Chanda, Ray's leading man inSeemabodhho, andParambrata Chatterjee, the screenTopshe and film youth icon, starred in this production. In 2009, he wrote, directed and acted in the English playCheckmate, a non-canonical re-interpretation ofByomkesh Bakshi,Saradindu Bandopadhyay's sleuth.[7] He was an assistant director, lyricist and actor in bothAnjan Dutt'sMadly Bangalee andAparna Sen'sIti Mrinalini, in 2009.[8] He has also written lyrics for films likeCross Connection,Le Chakka andJosh, TV serials likeCoffee and More andDadagiri and non-film albums ofUsha Uthup.
In 2010 Mukherji directed his debut feature film, the award-winning blockbuster –Autograph (starringProsenjit Chatterjee,Indraneil Sengupta andNandana Sen) which was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. The film won 41 awards and was an official selection at Abu Dhabi International Film Festival 2010, MIAAC Film Festival in New York 2010, Glasgow International Film Festival 2011 andLondon Indian Film Festival 2011.[9]
In the same year he also made his acting debut on Bengali television in theRituparno Ghosh scripted mega serialGaaner Opare, produced by Ideas Entertainment.[10]
His work in 2011 included a major role in Anindya Banerjee'sChaplin starringRudranil Ghosh and his second film,Baishe Srabon starringProsenjit Chatterjee,Parambrata Chatterjee,Raima Sen,Abir Chatterjee andGautam Ghose, who returned to acting after a hiatus of 29 years.Baishe Srabon was recently the official selection at the Dubai International Film Festival and the closing film at the London Indian Film Festival, and had a 105-day run at the box office making it the biggest blockbuster of the year.Baishe Srabon has won 41 awards. His third feature film wasHemlock Society, a romantic satire set at the backdrop of a school which teaches aspirants how to successfully commit suicide. It featured Parambrata Chatterjee andKoel Mallick and won 21 awards.
Mukherji's fourth film,Mishawr Rawhoshyo, based onKakababu with Prasenjit Chattopadhyay playing the lead character andIndraneil Sengupta playing the role of Hani Alkadi, has been declared as one of the biggest blockbusters ever and the highest earning urban mainstream film. He has acted in films likeDutta Vs Dutta,Bapi Bari Jaa and the national award-winningShobdo. His fifth filmJaatishwar, featuringProsenjit Chatterjee andJisshu Sengupta, is generally considered to be the best in his career and most critically acclaimed. It is the musical bridge between two centuries of Bengali culture and a biopic cum a musical cum a reincarnation drama. At the 61st National Awards 2014, the highest film honour in India, it won 4 national awards for Music Direction, Playback Singing, Costume and Make up. This was the highest tally for a film in India this year, and the second highest ever for a Bengali film. It also swept the Mirchi Music Awards in 2015 winning 7 awards. The following year at the 62nd National Awards 2015, Chotushkone won him the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay awards, along with winning the Best Cinematography.
He also received the Young Achiever Award from Rotary International, the prestigious Shera Bangali Award from ABP Anando and the Shoilojanando Mukhopadhyay Memorial Award in 2012 for his contribution in the field of film direction. In 2013 he received the Uttam Kumar Memorial Award from the Government of West Bengal becoming the youngest director to achieve this. He has also received the oldest film award in India, the BFJA award, for remarkable contribution to Bengali Cinema in the last few years.[11]
Mukherji has made his directorial debut inBollywood with the filmBegum Jaan which is a remake of his earlierBengali filmRajkahini.Vidya Balan plays the lead role of a brothel's madam during thepartition of India in 1947.[12][13]He had two releases in 2018,Uma andEk Je Chhilo Raja. Both featuredJisshu Sengupta and were box office superhits. The former went to 10 film festivals around the world and won 6 awards while the latter won 23 awards and went to 7 film festivals around the world including Palm Springs International Film Festival.In 2018, it was reported that Mukherji will be directing a Junglee Pictures produced yet to be titled web-series in Hindi, based on the novel of noted novelist and bloggerArnab Ray, The Mahabharata Murders. This will be his first foray into web-series direction.[14]In 2019, he has three releasesShahjahan Regency,Vinci Da andGumnaami, the last two being both critical and commercial successes along with being a festival favourite.Gumnaami won the Best Bengali Feature Film and Best Adapted Screenplay Awards at the 67th National Film Awards. The sequel ofBaishe Srabon, namedDwitiyo Purush, released in January 2020, after which he had a long gap without releases due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
He has also completed another web-series,Feluda Pherot, which is based on twoFeluda stories written by Satyajit Ray,Chhinomostar Obhishaap andDarjeeling Jomjomat.[clarification needed][15]
In 2021 he had 4 releases, out of which 2 were Hindi films. He directedKakababur Protyaborton, which was based on the third film of theKakababu franchise, it had Prosenjit Chatterjee as Kakababu, Aryann Bhowmik, Anirban Chakrabarti in the lead roles. His next release wasX=Prem. Ablack and white romance drama film with debutant actors, the film earned critical praise and received several awards and nominations at the6th Filmfare Awards Bangla[16] and6th WBFJA Awards.
His next projects that year were two Bollywood films:Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga andShabaash Mithu. The latter was the biography of one of the most influential Indian female cricketerMithali Raj.[17]
In 2023, he releasedDawshom Awbotaar, aneo-noircrime thriller as the 4th installmentSrijit Mukherji's Cop Universe. It served as the prequel crossover of his previous filmsBaishe Srabon andVinci Da. It became a huge box office success emerged as one of the highest grossing Bengali films of 2023.[18] The film received multiple nomination and awards at the Filmfare Awards Bangla andWBFJA Awards.[19]
His first release in 2024 was thefantasyromanticcomedy filmOti Uttam. For the first time ever in Indian Cinema, veteran actorUttam Kumar appeared in the movie throughVisual effects by using his scenes from his 56 existing old movies.[20] His next release this year was abiopic on the life ofMrinal Sen. TitledPadatik, it chronicles his active time and contributions toBengali cinema.[21] His next thriller film titledTekka starringDev andRukmini Maitra released on the occasion Durga Puja 2024 and earned an 'organic blockbuster' tag.[22] His next venture isFeludar Goyendagiri (Season 2) which released on the occasion of Christmas 2024, digitally.
Srijit's next filmShotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei released soon in January 2025. Then he had a Poila Baishakh release, with the sequel ofHemlock Society,Killbill Society, a romantic dark comedy film that released in April 2025. He also had a Durga Puja release that year, but in the digital space, with the second and final season ofFeluda Pherot, based on Jawto Kando Kathmandute by Satyajit Ray. Upcoming, he has a Christmas release, a biographical period drama film titledLawho Gouranger Naam Re, based on the life and times ofShri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He also has a complete film in hand namedWinkle Twinkle, based on a play byBratya Basu, that is currently roaming in different festivals and is scheduled to release theatrically anytime in 2026. Another film by him is also announced, titledEmperor vs Sarat Chandra, slated to release on 1 May 2026.
| Denotes films or web series that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Language | Notes |
| 2010 | Autograph | Yes | Yes | Bengali | |
| 2011 | Baishe Srabon | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2012 | Hemlock Society | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2013 | Mishawr Rawhoshyo | Yes | No | ||
| 2014 | Jaatishwar | Yes | Yes | ||
| Chotushkone | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2015 | Nirbaak | Yes | Yes | ||
| Rajkahini | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2016 | Zulfiqar | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2017 | Begum Jaan | Yes | Yes | Hindi | |
| Yeti Obhijaan | Yes | No | Bengali | ||
| 2018 | Uma | Yes | Yes | ||
| Ek Je Chhilo Raja | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2019 | Shahjahan Regency | Yes | No | ||
| Vinci Da | Yes | Yes | |||
| Gumnaami | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2020 | Dwitiyo Purush | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2022 | Kakababur Protyaborton | Yes | No | ||
| X=Prem | Yes | Yes | |||
| Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga | Yes | Yes | Hindi | ||
| Shabaash Mithu[23] | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2023 | Dawshom Awbotaar | Yes | Yes | Bengali | |
| 2024 | Oti Uttam | Yes | Yes | ||
| Padatik | Yes | Yes | Biopic ofMrinal Sen | ||
| Tekka | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2025 | Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei | Yes | No | Based on12 Angry Men | |
| Killbill Society | Yes | Yes | |||
| Lawho Gouranger Naam Re | Yes | Yes | Based on the life and times ofShri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu |
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | OTT | Notes |
| 2012 | East India Pharmaceuticals Works Limited (Documentary) | Yes | No | Goutam Ghosh | |
| 2020 | Feluda Pherot (Chhinnamastar Abhishap) | Yes | No | Addatimes | Released |
| 2021 | Ray (Season 1) | Yes | No | Netflix | Anthology, Segment-Behrupiya,Forget me not |
| Rabindranath Ekhane Kokhono Khete Asenni | Yes | No | Hoichoi | Based on the Bengali book of the same name | |
| 2022 | Feludar Goyendagiri (Season 1) | Yes | No | Hoichoi | Released (Based onFeluda series bySatyajit Ray) |
| 2023 | Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke | Yes | No | ZEE5 | Released |
| Durgo Rawhoshyo | Yes | No | Hoichoi | Released | |
| 2024 | Feludar Goyendagiri (Season 2) | Yes | No | Hoichoi | Released (Based onFeluda series bySatyajit Ray) |
| Shekhar Home | Yes | Yes | JioHotstar | Released | |
| 2025 | Don-Boithok | Yes | Yes | TBA | Completed |
| Feluda Pherot (Jawto Kando Kathmandute) | Yes | No | Addatimes | Released |
| Year | Film | Lyricist | Actor |
| 2009 | Cross Connection | Yes | No |
| Madly Bangalee | Yes | Yes | |
| 2010 | Le Chakka | Yes | No |
| Josh | Yes | No | |
| Gaaner Oparey | No | Yes | |
| 2011 | Iti Mrinalini | Yes | Yes |
| Flop-e | No | Yes | |
| Ghente Ghaw | Yes | No | |
| Chaplin | No | Yes | |
| 2012 | Dutta Vs Dutta | No | Yes |
| Bapi Bari Jaa | No | Yes | |
| Shabdo | No | Yes | |
| 2013 | Maach Mishti & More | Yes | No |
| 2018 | Ahare Mon | Yes | No |
| Kabir | No | Yes | |
| 2019 | Shantilal O Projapoti Rohoshyo | No | Yes |
| 2023 | Manobjomin | No | Yes |
| Dilkhush | No | Yes |
International Awards
National Awards (Govt. of India)
| Film | Year (Award Ceremony) | Award Category | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chotushkone | 2015 (62nd) | National Film Award for Best Director | [24] |
| Chotushkone | 2015 (62nd) | National Film Award for Best Original Screenplay | [25] |
| Ek Je Chhilo Raja | 2019 (66th) | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali | [26] |
| Gumnaami | 2020 (67th) | National Film Award for Best Adapted Screenplay | [27] |
| Gumnaami | 2020 (67th) | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali | [28] |
Filmfare Awards
WBFJA Awards (Oldest Film Awards in India)
State Awards (Govt. Of West Bengal)
Mukherji was in a relationship with actressSwastika Mukherjee; they broke up after filmingJaatishwar in 2014.[29] Later he datedJaya Ahsan around 2017 for a brief period.[30] Media reports speculated a romantic affair between him and actressJaya Ahsan during the filming ofBishorjan (2017).[31] Mukherji did not address the rumours directly, but described their relationship being "much more than love".[32][33]
On 6 December 2019, Mukherji married actressRafiath Rashid Mithila.[34][35]
Also starring Swastika Mukherjee and Rukmini Maitra, the film will release in theatres on October 8
Media related toSrijit Mukherji at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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