Srijit Mukherji wears multiple hats for ‘Emperor VS Sarat Chandra’, unveils first song ‘Shoite Shoite’

The song launch was attended by members of the film and music teams, including Tota Roy Chowdhury, Abir Chatterjee, Divyani Mondal, Anupam Roy and Rik Chatterjee.

Srijit Mukherji takes on multiple roles

While Mukherji has previously worked as a lyricist for films including Cross Connection (2009), Le Chakka (2010) and Mach Mishti (2013), ‘Emperor VS Sarat Chandra’ brings together his roles as director, lyricist and composer in the same film.

‘Shoite Shoite’ explores the idea of enduring oppression and eventually breaking the silence to fight back.

Written and composed by Mukherji, the song draws from the colonial backdrop of the film and the banning of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s ‘Pather Dabi’ by the British government over concerns that it could fuel nationalist sentiment.

The song acts as a musical response to colonial suppression while reflecting the journey of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and the revolutionary character Sabyasachi Mallick.

Souptik Mazumder serves as the associate music director, while Mazumder and Achin Sarkar have handled the music production.

Speaking about the film’s distinctive format, Mukherji said, “The format that this film follows is new. Any historical drama follows the narrative structure followed in the book, drama or short story. This film follows a culmination of Sarat Chandra’s writing and the background of colonial suppression and banning during the British period; that is what I have tried.”

“In the story, it talks about the fight against colonial rule, and outside the story, the fight of colonial reaction towards the story,” he added.

Abir Chatterjee on censorship and creative freedom

Actor Abir Chatterjee, who features in the film, spoke about the continuing relevance of the themes of censorship, authority and creative expression.

“Isn’t it ironic that so many years have passed, and we still see this in culture, be it a film, writing or even someone’s film? But learning from history, we understand that you cannot make people silent. They will talk, and writers like Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay have shown us the way,” Chatterjee said.

“You shouldn’t feel dominated by authorities, because you are actually questioning things for the betterment of humankind. Writers like Chattopadhyay were immensely popular for his other works, so why did he choose this topic? Because at that time it was the bare minimum he thought he could do for the Indian people,” he added.

Divyani Mondal makes film debut

The film also marks the big-screen debut of actress Divyani Mondal, who previously worked in reality television.

Speaking about her experience, Mondal said, “I have learnt from my experience working on this film. I used to work in television before, and this is my first film under the mentorship of Srijit Sir. I was very scared, but I did workshops; I was helped by Rik and every other co-actor.”

“I hope you all love the film,” she added.

Actor Rik Chatterjee also expressed his excitement about the song and the upcoming release.

‘Emperor VS Sarat Chandra’ is scheduled to hit theatres across Kolkata on October 14, 2026, ahead of the festive season.

(Reporting by Swastik Sarkar)