The film also follows Rahul’s brother, who has gone mad and lives in the forest, sleeping in trees, and existing in a primal state, seemingly free from the constraints of society. He interacts with a foreign soldier (played by Tómas Lemarquis) who patrols the border, creating a strange, tense dynamic.
| | Vimukthi Jayasundara | | :--- | :--- | | Written by | Vimukthi Jayasundara | | Produced by | Fahad Bashar, Habibur Rahman Khan | | Starring | Paoli Dam, Soumitra Chatterjee, Anubrata Basu, Rii Sen | | Cinematography | Anuruddha Jayasinghe | | Edited by | Suresh Pai | | Music by | Indrajit Dey | | Production Companies | Bicycle Production, Elephant Films | | Release Date | 14 October 2011 (India) | | Country | India | | Language | Bengali | | Genre | Art House, Drama, Psychological Thriller |
The film is strictly for patrons of arthouse cinema. It does not follow a linear, cause-and-effect storytelling structure. Instead, director Vimukthi Jayasundara uses a "mood-driven" narrative. The camera lingers on derelict buildings, open drains, and crumbling walls, creating a suffocating atmosphere that mirrors the characters' internal turmoil. Chatrak 2011 Bengali Movie Wiki
The film was shot primarily in and the Sunderbans delta region. The iconic half-built high-rise was a real stalled real estate project in New Town, Rajarhat , which at the time had become a local legend for strange fungal growths.
The cinematography is the true hero of Chatrak . It is atmospheric, dark, and textured. The film was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it was praised for its visual language and bold departure from traditional South Asian cinema tropes. The film also follows Rahul’s brother, who has
For Paoli Dam, the film was a double-edged sword. It damaged several of her mainstream commercial opportunities but simultaneously cemented her reputation as a fearless actor in the Indian arthouse circuit. For director Vimukthi Jayasundara, Chatrak stands as a bold continuation of his career of creating visually stunning, politically charged, and deeply challenging cinema, including his Camera d’Or-winning debut, The Forsaken Land (2005).
Content warnings:
Praised the film for its artistic portrayal of "cinematic dreams and nightmares". 5. Cultural Impact
This film is distinct from the 2017 Bangladeshi film of the same name and is often cited for its unconventional storytelling. It does not follow a linear, cause-and-effect storytelling