Shiboprosad Mukherjee

Shiboprosad Mukherjee ( , Bengali: ; born 20 May 1974) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, producer and actor who works primarily in Bengali cinema. He made his directorial debut with Icche, co-directed with Nandita Roy. Since then, the duo have co-written and co-directed films including Muktodhara (2012), Alik Sukh (2013), Ramdhanu (2014), Belaseshe (2015), Praktan (2016), Posto (2017), Haami (2018), Konttho (2019), Belashuru (2022), Raktabeej (2023) and Bohurupi (2024). He is also a partner at Windows Production, which he co-founded with Roy in 2002.

Alik Sukh premiered at the Marché du Film of the Cannes Film Festival. Films such as Belaseshe, Praktan and Bohurupi emerged among the highest-grossing Bengali films of their respective years. In addition to directing, Mukherjee has appeared as an actor in several of his own films, including Haami, Bohurupi and Aamar Boss.

Mukherjee's films have been recognized for their educational and cultural significance. Icche was accepted into the National Film Archive of India for cultural and educational purposes. Icche, Muktodhara and Ramdhanu were included in the B.Ed. curriculum of Visva-Bharati University. While Icche and Muktodhara have been used in the Certificate Course on Legal and Psychological Counselling for Women in Distress.

Early life and education Shiboprosad Mukherjee was born on 20 May 1974 at Baranagar in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He was born to an academician father and homemaker mother, and was the youngest among his four siblings. Initially, he was named Mongolprosad by his father. But his mother rearranged his name, owing to the possibility of him being referred to as "Mongla" by the neighbours.

Mukherjee did his early education from Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama High School, where he studied till fifth grade. He completed his high school from the Hindu School in Kolkata. His formative years involved co-curricular activities, acting and elocution. He earned him first income by playing "khep" cricket, with which he bought his mother a sari.

Career Early 1990s–2001: Early career and television While graduating, Mukherjee joined the theatre group Nandikar along with his friend Sujan Neel Mukherjee. Shiboprosad was trained under the guidance of Rudraprasad Sengupta and Swatilekha Sengupta. He received guidance from Rituporno Ghosh while working as a freelance journalist for Anandalok. In 1995, he made his television debut with a small role in Ekushe Pa. Directed by Raja Dasgupta, the soap opera was aired on Zee Bangla. Later he worked in other daily soaps including Janmabhoomi and Ghoom Nei. He made his large screen debut with Jamai No. 1 (1998) directed by Nitish Roy. He was cast in the lead of the film, after Nandita Roy noticed his performance in Ekushe Pa and suggested her husband cast him. Till 2002, they created 19 original non-fiction programs for ETV Bangla, including Sreemoti, the first Bengali women's magazine program, and Ebong Rituparno, a celebrity chat show hosted by Rituparno Ghosh. They also created 14 one-hour television films for streaming on ETV Bangla. In 2003, he acted in the biographical documentary Ekti Nadir Naam. By 2007, they were working on 14 TV shows for ETV Bangla at the same time, but quit abruptly to focus on filmmaking. By 2008, they had conceived their first script Icche and were pitching their script to different production houses until Rituparno Ghosh agreed to produce Icche (2011). They subsequently directed Accident (2012), a thriller inspired by the aftermaths of a fatal real life road accident. It was selected for screening under the Indian Cinema Now section at the 18th International Kerala Film Festival in 2013.

Windows Production entered film production with Alik Sukh (2013), a psychological thriller exploring the ethical dilemmas faced by doctors. The film premiered at the Marché du Film of the Cannes Film Festival and earned the duo the Filmfare Awards East for Best Direction. In 2014, the duo directed Ramdhanu, a family drama centred on modern parenting and the pressures of school admissions. They followed it with Belaseshe (2015), starring Soumitra Chatterjee and Swatilekha Sengupta.

2015-2021: Commercial breakthrough and family dramas During the 2010s, Mukherjee and Roy established themselves as one of Bengali cinema's most commercially successful directing duos, producing a succession of family dramas that combined social commentary with mainstream appeal. Their next release, Praktan (2016), reunited Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta on screen after fourteen years. The film became the highest-grossing Bengali film of the year, while its songs received the 64th National Film Awards for Best Lyrics and Best Female Playback Singer.

Mukherjee and Roy continued with Posto (2017), a family drama exploring child custody and grandparent–grandchild relationships. In 2018, they released Haami, based on friendship and bullying among schoolchildren. It was followed later that year by the biographical drama Rosogolla, inspired by confectioner Nobin Chandra Das. The duo released two films in 2019: Konttho and Gotro, both of which addressed contemporary social issues through family-oriented narratives.

2022-present: Mainstream success and genre expansion In 2022, Mukherjee and Roy directed Belashuru, a spiritual successor to Belaseshe, revisiting themes of ageing and long-term relationships. It was the last film of Soumitra Chatterjee, and was released posthumously, after his death. The following year, they released Raktabeej, a political thriller inspired by real-life incidents.

In 2024, the duo wrote, directed and produced Bohurupi, a heist thriller inspired by a "Bohurupi" gang of bank robbers in West Bengal. The film became one of the highest-grossing Bengali films of the year and won the Filmfare Awards Bangla for Best Film and Best Director.

Following the success of Bohurupi, Mukherjee and Roy directed Aamar Boss (2025), a workplace family drama starring Rakhee Gulzar in her return to Bengali cinema after more than two decades. Inspired by corporate day-care initiatives, the film was screened in the Panorama section of the 55th International Film Festival of India.

Later in 2025, they directed Raktabeej 2, a sequel to Raktabeej. In 2026, the duo released Phool Pishi O Edward, a period mystery drama set in a zamindar household. His upcoming project Bohurupi: The Golden Daku is a spin-off to Bohurupi and is scheduled to release in Puja 2026.

Filmmaking style Mukherjee's films, made in collaboration with Nandita Roy, primarily focus on family relationships, contemporary social issues and the lives of the Bengali middle class. Film scholar Anindya Sengupta has described Roy and Mukherjee's work as employing "simple issue-based narratives" that appeal to family audiences while reflecting the aspirations and concerns of the Bengali middle class. Dahan Jhinuk's brother 1998 Jamai No 1 Jamai Mukherjee's first feature film as the lead actor 2000 Bariwali Debasish 2003 Ekti Nadir Naam Documentary film based on the Partition of Bengal (1947)

Icche Feature directorial debut; based on the novel Iccher Gach by Suchitra Bhattacharya Hello Memsaheb

Muktodhara Happy Singh Based on the real-life reformation of ex-convict Nigel Akkara Accident Arko Based on the Kestopur Road Accident of 2008 2013 Alik Sukh Based on the novel Aleek Shukh by Suchitra Bhattacharya 2014 Ramdhanu Laltu Dutta Based on the novel Ramdhanu Rang by Suchitra Bhattacharya 2015 Bela Seshe 2016 Praktan Based on the novel Ujaan by Suchitra Bhattacharya 2017 Posto 2018 Haami Laltu Biswas

Konttho Arjun Mallik Inspired by the real-life story of cancer survivor Bibhuti Bhushan Chakraborty Gotro

Bela Shuru Last film of Soumitra Chatterjee; was released posthumously, after his death Haami 2 Laltu Mondal

Raktabeej Based on the 2014 Burdwan blast Shastry Viruddh Shastry Hindi-language remake of Mukherjee's 2017 Bengali film Posto 2024 Bohurupi Vikram Pramanik Based on the real-life of bank robber Sheikh Eklas, who had robbed 27 banks between 1998-2002

Aamar Boss Animesh Goswami Inspired by real-life corporate day-care initiatives Raktabeej 2 New Munir Alam Cameo appearance; Film inspired by the security challenges during former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee's 2013 visit to Bangladesh

Phool Pishi O Edward Inspired from Miss Marple's character in Agatha Christie's multiple crime novels Spin-off of Bohurupi Accolades Year Award Ceremony Category Work Result 2012 Anandalok Award 14th Anandalok Award Best Film Muktodhara 2014 Filmfare Awards East 1st Filmfare Awards East Best Direction Alik Sukh Best Film 2016 Zee Cine Awards 16th Zee Cine Awards Best Bengali Film Belaseshe Sera Bangali Awards 12th Sera Bangali Awards Sera Bangali (Direction) International Business Film Award Highest Grossing Bengali Film Praktan 2017 Zee Cine Awards 17th Zee Cine Awards Best Bengali Film Filmfare Awards East 2nd Filmfare Awards East Best Film Best Director WBFJA Awards1st WBFJA Award Most Popular Film Best Director 2018 Filmfare Awards East 3rd Filmfare Awards East Best Director Posto 2020 WBFJA Awards 4th WBFJA Award Best Actor Konttho Most Popular Film 2021 Filmfare Awards Bangla 4th Filmfare Awards Bangla Best Director Best Actor 2023 WBFJA Awards 6th WBFJA Awards Most Popular Film Belashuru 2024 7th WBFJA Award Most Popular Film Raktabeej Filmfare Awards Bangla 7th Filmfare Awards Bangla Best Film Best Director Best Story 2025 WBFJA Awards 8th WBFJA Awards Most Popular Film Bohurupi Filmfare Awards Bangla 8th Filmfare Awards Bangla Best Film Best Director Best Original Story Best Actor

Personal life In 1994, Shiboprosad Mukherjee lost his father on the day of Poila Boisakh, when he was 20 years old. He also lost his paternal uncle on the same day, within a span of 12 hours. Mukherjee married journalist Zinia Sen in 2016. He resides in Kolkata with his octogenarian mother and wife. In an interview, Zinia Sen said that Mukherjee is an intense workaholic who sleeps very little and continuously works through weekends, often making it difficult to plan personal trips or dates. Accident was selected for the Indian Cinema Now section of the 18th International Kerala Film Festival in 2013. Alik Sukh was premiered at the Marché du Film section in Cannes Film Festival in 2013. In 2025, Aamar Boss was screened in Panorama section of the 55th International Film Festival of India.