Oct 13, 2026 2:55pm IST
Koushani Mukherjee On ‘Bohurupi 2’ And Playing Chandramukhi in ‘Emperor Vs Sarat Chandra’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Durga Puja 2026 is doubly special for Koushani Mukherjee, who looks forward to two major releases this festive season—“Bohurupi: The Golden Daku” and “Emperor Vs Sarat Chandra.” With the latter, she joins the illustrious list of actors who have portrayed Chandramukhi, the iconic character from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s “Devdas,” making a special cameo in Srijit Mukherjee’s film.
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The character Chandramukhi has been essayed by icons like Madhuri Dixit, Vyjayanthimala, Supriya Devi and Chandrabati Devi. Mukherjee says, “I am a fangirl of all these actresses. I haven’t copied anyone, nor do I want to be compared to these legends. It feels wonderful to be a part of a song like ‘Dil Ke Daag’ sung by Shreya Ghoshal.” Koushani adds that the song was filmed in just three hours, saying, “I just followed Srijit da’s instructions. I feel audiences will love the ambiance of the song as well.” The song is filmed in the Nat Mandir (dance hall) of Shobhabazar Rajbari.
Reflecting on the anticipation around the film’s release, Mukherjee adds, “The movie showcases the root of modern Bengali culture. The wonderful cast includes Totada (Tota Roy Choudhury), Abir Chatterjee, and Mimi Chakraborty. This Durga Puja, the box office has multi-genre movies. Srijit da has attempted something out of the box with this film.”
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Massive expectations
“Bohurupi,” which was released in 2024, is one of the biggest blockbusters of Bengali cinema. Mukherjee plays Jhimli, the wife of the film’s main protagonist, Bohurupi/Bikram (Shiboprosad Mukherjee). She says, “The first film was high on entertainment, with so much action and drama between the cop and the ‘Bohurupi.’ Jhimli was the heart of the story. She is a stressbuster. After the first film, audiences complained that Jhimli was not an active part of the robberies, which is addressed in this film.”
The actor has worked with “Bohurupi” filmmaker duo, Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, in three of their productions. She says, “Shibuda (Shiboprosad Mukherjee) is like a master at work. We’re both very competitive and completely honest with each other. He understands what I want to say even with me saying it (laughs).”
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Bottlenecks for Bengali films
In a landmark move, Hombale Films has picked up “Bohurupi: The Golden Daku” for overseas distribution. Discussing why Bengali films struggle to touch even the ₹50-crore mark at the box office, she says, “The state lacks single-screen cinemas. People in interiors cannot afford multiplex tickets. The closure of single-screen halls over the years has led to this. Also, Bengali audiences watch movies of many Indian languages. Many cinemas give prime-time shows to Hindi and South Indian films. For us, it is not about the first-week collection but about how long it runs on word of mouth. Also, it is tough to imagine films made on ₹six-seven crore making ₹100 crore. As an industry, we function with restrained budgets and infrastructure, so challenges are manifold.”
The actress further reveals “Bohurupi: The Golden Daku” was filmed in 45 days. “In West Bengal, we do not have the concept of six months in pre-production and post production. Most films are shot in 30 days. ‘Bohurupi 2’ was written over two years, filmed at 96 locations across the state in 45 days and post production took five months, so this is a very big film. The first movie was the dream project of Shibuda and Nandita Di (Nandita Roy), and when it did well, they decided to make this one on a bigger scale,” she says.
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