Raj to begin his children’s adventure film

Not so long back, he had issues procuring the rights to Leela Majumdar’s Tong Ling. Despite the initial setback, Raj Chakrabarty, who was keen on making a children’s film for Christmas, came up with a fresh story — Adventures of Jojo. The unit is already in Arunachal Pradesh, where the shoot will begin from June 2.
Giving us an insight into the story, Raj said, “It’s a film on tiger poaching.Jojo, a Class VI student, goes to his uncle’s place in Boropahari. An animal lover, he’s fascinated by the jungle. His twin cousins are always into studies and score 100 in maths. In Boropahari, he makes friends with Shibu, son of a mahout. Together, they roam around the forests of Boropahari, enjoying the wildlife there. One day, Jojo and Shibu discover the dead remains of a tiger and feel the presence of poachers lurking in the jungle. They inform the forest officer, who doubts the information coming from two children. Meanwhile, a notorious poacher, Munia Hazari, is in search of a dreaded tiger, Chengis. Will Jojo be able to rescue Chengis from the clutches of Munia Hazari? This film is about the adventures of Jojo.”
The film will see Joshojeet Banerjee, son of actor Jayjit Banerjee, debut as Jojo. “I had called him for Tong Ling and regularly follow his activities on Facebook. His face is very interesting and is perfect for my character,” said Raj, who has roped in Samiul Alam of Sahaj Pather Gappo to play Shibu in the film. The film is inspired by stories of tiger poaching that have been hitting the headlines for months now. “There are fantasy elements too. An elephant, Notobor, keeps surfacing in Jojo’s drawings. When he is faced with a crisis in the jungle, it’s Notobor who comes to his rescue,” added the director.
While the script and screenplay are by Padmanabha Dasgupta, Rudranil Ghosh will be seen in an important role. “Padmanabha, Rudranil, Soumik Halder (cinematographer) and I were supposed to work in Tong Ling and Kathmundu 2, both of which did not happen. My team remains the same for Adventures of Jojo. Manali (Manisha Dey) is also a part of the film, which will see quite a few fresh faces,” said Raj. The director said he plans to develop an adventure franchise and the film’s title is in keeping with the blueprint.