100 years after ‘Pather Dabi’, ‘Emperor vs Saratchandra’ brings Sarat Chandra to the screen

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel ‘Pather Dabi’ was published in 1926. One hundred years later, in 2026, ‘Emperor vs Saratchandra’ has been made as an epic historical drama film in Bengali. The film has been written and directed by Srijit Mukherji, based on Sarat Chandra's timeless novel ‘Pather Dabi’.

The film was released recently, during the last Durga Puja. Since its release, fresh discussion has begun about Sarat Chandra's novel and his life.

The novel was essentially against the British Raj; Sarat Chandra directly challenged the government of the time. The British Raj therefore declared the novel banned. But within a week of publication, every copy of the book had sold out. The ban was lifted only a year after Sarat Chandra's death.

The film ‘Emperor vs Saratchandra’ brings the past into the courtyard of the present. It highlights important themes such as patriotism, freedom, liberation, protest, and freedom of expression.

Sarat Chandra's real life and the revolutionary characters have been portrayed very precisely in it. On one side is Sarat Chandra's pen, on the other is Sabyasachi's direct struggle — these two languages of protest form the heart of the film.

The presence of Rabindranath and the differing views of the two men on nationalism add a different dimension to the film, which audiences have enjoyed.

The film stars Tota Roychowdhury (as Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay), Abir Chatterjee, Mimi Chakraborty, and Sanjay Nag (as Rabindranath Tagore), among others.

Srijit always tries to give something different or exceptional in his stories, and this film is no exception. By presenting the mutual conflict of literature, politics, and revolution, the film beautifully portrays the power of thought and the role it played in shaping the fate of a nation.

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel ‘Pather Dabi’ was first adapted for the screen in 1947 by directors Satish Dasgupta and Digambar Chatterjee. Devi Mukhopadhyay played Sabyasachi, Sumitra Devi played Bharati, and Mihir Bhattacharya played Apurba. This adaptation was a huge commercial success and won several BFJA awards.

In 1948, the novel was filmed in Hindi under the name ‘Sabyasachi’. Based on the successful Bengali film of 1947, it was remade in Hindi the very next year.

In 1977, director Piyush Bose made another film named ‘Sabyasachi’, starring the great Uttam Kumar in the lead role. He appeared on screen as the main revolutionary character ‘Sabyasachi’. The other roles were played by Supriya Chowdhury (Rose), Anil Chatterjee, and Bikash Roy.

After the novel was published, the renowned playwright Sachin Sengupta adapted it into a stage play. In the late 1920s and afterwards, the play was regularly staged at various professional and amateur theatres in Kolkata. Because the dialogues of the novel carried intense patriotism, these plays also inspired the young society of the time toward revolution against the British.