Ek Je Chhilo Raja the Best Bengali Film in the 66th National Film Awards

The annual 66th National Film Awards bestowed the prestigious National Award for Best Feature Film - Bengali to SVF produced Ek Je Chhilo Raja, directed by Srijit Mukherji.

Ek Je Chhilo Raja is a critically acclaimed film which was a blockbuster; the biggest opener and the highest grosser among the Durga Puja films of 2018. It has subsequently been ranked among the top 20 best films in India last year. SVF and Srijit Mukherji have collaborated multiple times starting from his debut film in 2010, followed by a successful stint of 12 films to their repertoire.

SVF has previously bagged National Film Awards in the categories – Best Feature Film in Hindi for Raincoat, Best Feature Film in Bengali for Chokher Bali, Best Feature Film in English for Memories in March, Special Jury Award for Chitrangada and Best Film on Social Issues for Chotoder Chobi.

The film- Ek Je Chhilo Raja takes us back to that time when an extended court case in search of truth made the whole nation stay in awe. Ek Je Chhilo Raja is a subtle take on what happens when Feudal India meets Spiritual India. In 1909, British India was a heady concoction of feudalism and early nationalism. The incestuous relationship between colonial rule and princely fiefdom was starting to be challenged by the growing voice of the common man expressed through indigenous politics. It was a land of tiger hunts and boycott rallies, a land of fakirs and saints and kings and sahibs, a land built on the estuary of diverse civilisations. In this backdrop, a feudal lord is poisoned as a result of a conspiracy, but allegedly escapes cremation by slipping out of coma thanks to a miraculous intervention of the elements. 12 years later, an ascetic with uncanny physical similarities returns to claim his kingdom and takes on the British with the help of the common people, in a British court defended by a nationalistic Indian lawyer. What follows is one of the most incredible sagas ever to unfold in the annals of Indian Judicial History.

Essaying these powerful roles were versatile actors Jisshu U Sengupta, Jaya Ahsan, Anjan Dutt, Aparna Sen, Anirban Bhattacharya and Rudranil Ghosh among others.

Ek Je Chilo Raja is a dramatised retelling of this remarkable true story which gives us a foray into how a 16 year-long court-room battle decided whether the dead king will rise again to claim his kingdom from the British or whether he will remain an impostor who pulled off the greatest coup in history?

An elated Mahendra Soni, Co-Founder and Director, SVF said, "This is a proud moment for Bengali Cinema and our Film Industry. I congratulate Srijit and the entire team of Ek Je Chhilo Raja for this stupendous achievement.SVF promises to continue providing its audience with a diverse genre of films!”

Srijit Mukherji added, “I am delighted that Ek Je Chhilo Raja won Best Bengali Film. Special mention goes to Jisshu Sengupta whose performance is truly “award-worthy” and Somnath Kundu, whose impeccable make-up brought forth the realness of the characters portrayed by Jisshu. It’s a triumph for the entire team and I hope we will continue delivering promising cinema to our viewers.”