Rajkummar Rao to Join Sourav Ganguly at Kolkata Puja Pandals

Rajkummar Rao is about to step into Sourav Ganguly’s world in front of the audience that knows the former India captain best. On Mahashtami, the actor will join Ganguly at the Durga Puja pandals in South Kolkata that the cricketer has been visiting since childhood. It is the first major public appearance for the team of Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story, according to Bollywood Hungama.

A festive first

The visit brings Rao and Ganguly together in public for the first time since the biopic was announced. Rao is expected to travel to Kolkata on Monday, with select members of the film’s crew joining him. The plan centres on a handful of prominent local pandals in South Kolkata, where the two are expected to offer prayers and interact with residents.

• Mahashtami pandal visits in South Kolkata
• Stops at pandals Ganguly has attended since childhood
• Prayers, local interactions and a small crew presence
• The first public appearance for the biopic’s team in Kolkata

Why this stage matters

Durga Puja is not the background to a promotional stop in Bengal; it is the main event. For a film built around a beloved Kolkata icon, Mahashtami offers a rare chance to introduce the actor and the real-life subject in an intimate, festive setting. Biopics often live or die on whether the audience accepts the actor in the part, and there is no better early test than standing beside the original in front of his home crowd.

Ganguly remains a figure of deep regional pride. A neighbourhood pandal is where that pride is most personal, so the visit does more than generate first visuals. It places Rao’s version of Ganguly inside a ritual that local fans already trust and recognise.

An early start to a long campaign

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg, the film is scheduled to release in theatres on May 14, 2027. With the release months away, the Mahashtami visit signals a local-first promotional strategy: connect with Bengal’s cricket and movie fans early, then build outward.

Festival-led film promotion is a familiar Bollywood tool, but the difference here is specificity. This is not a generic pandal hop; the itinerary is built around Ganguly’s own childhood pandals, so the visit doubles as a small origin-story tour for the biopic.

For audiences in Kolkata, it is also a practical moment. Those planning to visit the same South Kolkata pandals may catch the pair as they offer prayers and meet residents. The warmth and ease of that first public appearance will tell viewers a lot about the film’s emotional pitch before the first teaser or trailer even arrives.

Source: bollywoodHungama.com

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#Biopics#Bollywood#Dada The Sourav Ganguly Story#Durga Puja 2026#Kolkata#Rajkummar Rao#Sourav Ganguly#Vikramaditya Motwane