Kolkata: In an interesting development for Tollywood, seven films are scheduled to release during Durga Puja this year. Alongside four major Bengali releases, three Hindi features and two English films are also entering the festive line-up.This crowded slate of nine movies has arrived without a single complaint from producers struggling to secure their preferred showtimes. Although no Hindi films debuted last year, the industry was still dominated by a fierce show-sharing controversy, marked by a rapid exchange of allegations and counter-allegations behind the scenes.Cut to 2026. A lot changed. Dev, the star of ‘Raghu Dakat’, turned director this puja with ‘DeSu7’. Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee returned with ‘Bohurupi: The Golden Daku’ after ‘Raktabeej 2’ last puja. Srjit Mukherji, who gave last puja a miss, is back now with ‘Emperor Vs Sarat Chandra’. The Eken franchise is back this puja with Joydeep Mukherjee’s ‘Eken: Kerala-e Kurukshetra’. The line-up features Avinash Arun’s ‘Prahaar’, Balaji Mohan’s ‘Nayyi Navelli’, Nelson Dilipkumar’s ‘Jailor 2’ in Hindi, Kitao Sakurai’s ‘Street Fighter’, and Brian Duffield’s ‘Whalefall.’ Unlike previous years when one production house allegedly sabotaged another, this year there has been no such controversy. Shiboprosad Mukherjee told TOI that the conflicts over shows are exhausting. “We are too tired to contest. We have given our best to the film. For me, my family, my dignity and self esteem are important,” he said.Joydeep Mukherjee, the director of ‘Eken: Kerala-e Kurukshetra’, believes good sense has prevailed among hall owners. “They have understood that Durga Puja will see a craze for Bengali cinema. Despite a Rajanikant release during puja, Bengali films have got good shows. This is the second time in my career that I have a puja release.”According to the Eken director, ‘mutual understanding and respect between directors have increased”. “This year, there is no fear of ministers calling up to give good show timings,” said producer-distributor, Satadeep Saha. Pradip Kumar Nandy, the producer of ‘Emperor Vs Sarat Chandra’, believes the “tolerance” of producers has increased. There are no allegations of Hindi film distributors elbowing out Bengali cinema by pushing exhibitors to give all screens. Navin Chowkhani, the owner of Navina, “We are glad that all stakeholders have cooperated with us. Hence, we are able to accommodate almost everyone. I am running five shows of Bengali films and one of Hindi.”
