Charak Movie Review : A tense thriller set amid haunting devotion

Story: Based on Sanjay Halder’s short story of the same name, the film chronicles the two weeks leading up to the religious Charak fair in Chaandpur. The narrative follows parallel stories of childless couples while examining the superstitious beliefs carried out in the name of faith.

Review: There’s faith, and on its flip side, there’s blind faith. Both rest on belief, but rationale is what separates one from the other. Director Shieladitya Moulik’s social thriller explores this idea through the unsettling story of a young boy, Kaanu (Shoumal Shyamal), murdered just before the Charak mela (celebrated to appease Kali and Shiva). At the core of the tale is a chilling superstition that childless devotees can become parents if they carry out a human sacrifice of a child through aghoris. Does Kaanu die because of this superstition, or is something else at play?

The film’s visuals are spectacular, the emotions are evocative, and the realism is compelling. Manas Bhattacharya and Prasantanu Mohapatra’s cinematography creates a hauntingly beautiful yet tense atmosphere from the start. The pristine landscapes and rocky hills are captured with an almost deceptive calm, even as the austerity and intensity of devotion builds steadily. Tantrics and aghoris drinking water from skulls and praying can leave viewers unnerved, as do scenes of devotees piercing their bodies with iron rods and suspending mid-air. Scenes of the aghoris and the mela itself have a documentary-like quality, which is perfectly set off by the murder-mystery narrative and effective plot twists.

The film’s parallel tracks are led by two contrasting worlds: Kaanu’s friend Birsha’s (Shankhadeep) neighbour Sukumar (Shashi Bhushan), a tribal villager desperate for a child who turns to being the head priest at the mela and suspending himself by iron hooks, and police officer Subhash Sharma (Sahidur Rahaman) with his writer wife Shefali (Anjali Patil), who have been trying to have a baby for more than a decade. Despite their education, they take jadi booti, coerced by Subhash’s mother, showing that even the affluent and educated aren’t beyond a set of beliefs.

Bishakh Jyoti’s music (Ghor Aghor and Yagya Kund) and background score capture the foreboding doom and visceral timbre. It complements the narrative perfectly with its folk, classical, and traditional sounds.

The performances further the film’s realism. Subrat Dutta as Birsha’s drunk, gambling father, Manoranjan, and Manosree Biswas as his mother feel completely lived-in. Shashi Bhushan as the neighbouring uncle, Sukumar, and Sreya Bhattacharya as his wife also embody their roles convincingly. Anjali Patil and Sahidur Rahaman deliver strong performances, as do the young boys Shankhadeep and Shoumal Shyamal.

The compelling story, backed by effective twists, keeps the tension alive till the end. Its haunting, realistic milieu makes this a must-watch.