Chatrak marks a unique cross-border collaboration in South Asian cinema. Director Vimukthi Jayasundara, who previously won the coveted Caméra d'Or at Cannes for The Forsaken Land (2005), stepped out of Sri Lanka to film in the urban and rural landscapes of West Bengal, India.
The central metaphor of the mushroom ( Chatrak ) is woven throughout the film. Mushrooms thrive on decay and organic matter, much like the new economic structures and real estate projects in the film thrive by destroying older communities and natural habitats. The film acts as a critique of globalization, showing how rapid economic growth can alienate individuals from their roots, their families, and themselves. The Controversy
Included for its realistic use of isolated settings and serene visuals.
By 2011, Paoli Dam was already famous in Bengali cinema for her bold choices (most notably, Kaalbela ). In , she delivers a career-defining performance that is almost entirely non-verbal. Chatrak Bengali Movie
When a clip of this scene was leaked on YouTube, it went viral, drawing both intense curiosity and outrage. The fallout was severe and multi-layered. Paoli Dam was heavily criticized for her participation. One Bengali film director even publicly disowned her, stating he was "thoroughly disgusted" and "refuse[d] to accept any excuse for having a scene like that in a film". At the same time, there was a palpable hypocrisy, as many who condemned the film in public were reportedly "the first ones to want to watch the film in private".
The film was directed by Vimukthi Jayasundara , who previously won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his film The Forsaken Land (2005). The cinematography was handled by Channa Deshapriya , whose work in "dirty colors and dim lights" creates a bleak, depressed visual aesthetic that defines the film's tone. The music was composed by Roman Dymmy, and the film was produced by Vinod Lahoti.
Upon his return, he reunites with his girlfriend, Paoli (Paoli Dam), who has spent years living in isolation, waiting patiently for his homecoming. Chatrak marks a unique cross-border collaboration in South
(British Film Institute) praised its wild and comic moments, while
The film also introduces another narrative thread set in this same forest. Here, the lost brother befriends a foreign soldier played by Icelandic actor Tómas Lemarquis, marking a cross-cultural encounter between a local and a European in an untamed wilderness. The narrative then follows Rahul and Paoli on their journey to find the lost sibling, a quest that brings them into contact with people who have been displaced or "expropriated" by major construction projects—a central theme for the director.
Regardless of its artistic merit, Chatrak is perhaps most remembered in India for the controversy surrounding its sexual content. The film features an explicit scene of involving actress Paoli Dam and actor Anubrata Basu. Mushrooms thrive on decay and organic matter, much
Chatrak (English title: Mushrooms ) is a 2011 Bengali drama film directed by Sri Lankan filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara. The film is known for its bold narrative structure, artistic cinematography, and the intense controversy that surrounded its release. It stands as a unique cross-cultural collaboration in independent Bengali cinema, exploring the stark psychological and physical landscapes of a rapidly developing Kolkata. Plot Overview
If you need a tight script with a three-act structure and a happy ending, this film will feel like two hours of watching wet cement dry.
Rahul (played by Sumeet Thakur) is a successful Bengali architect who returns to Kolkata after spending years working in Dubai. He is hired to oversee a massive, ultra-modern luxury housing project in the city's rapidly expanding tech-hub outskirts. Rahul represents the globalized Indian diaspora—financially prosperous but emotionally detached and spiritually unanchored. He struggles to reconnect with his girlfriend, Paoli Dam, who has waited for him in Kolkata, as well as with the rapidly transforming city itself.
Together, they embark on a journey to find his lost brother, exploring the stark contrasts between the rural outskirts and the encroaching urban jungle 1.2.4.
The mushrooms growing on skyscraper walls represent the failure of modern architecture to suppress the natural world. No matter how much steel and cement you pour, earth finds a way to reclaim its territory.