- Date of Release: 20 December 2024
- Genre: Mystery
- Language: Bengali
Chaalchitro - The Frame Fatale
Plot
The thriller delves into the lives of four cops from Kolkata Police, as they go about investigating a series of murders rocking the city. As the plot thickens, the personal lives of the men get stressed and squeezed by the ongoing turmoil.
Review
The film plays out exactly as it was hinted in the trailer. It deals with four cops who investigate a serial killing spree in town that resembles a similar case in the past. The film has a fair share of balance between the personal and professional lives of four cops, although a few of the back stories don’t resonate as much as their counterparts. As it was already revealed, it isn’t much of a whodunit, but rather a whydunit as the half-time blockage approaches. It takes several plot quirks from popular genre films and the influences play in broad strokes rather than keeping it subtle. It is not a demerit, but it may not be relevant when played in a different context and country. If you are trying to squeeze a major plot twist influenced by others, you must adapt it to be called an influence, not a mere recreation.
The deficiencies in the narrative, however, do not make this film a tedious watch, the smooth screen transitions (courtesy some incredible editing by Antara Lahiri), and also the limited runtime more or less advocate for the lack of depth in police procedurals and the timelines and the way the murders have been committed. It doesn’t go with the usual buddy-cop genre narratives, but whatever it presents is not new either, a limited series format could have benefitted more to the script I suppose.
The film shows potential in churning out all the lead characters’ crisis in the narrative. The dramatic turmoil each of them faces doesn’t take anything away from the narrative, rather it empathizes with the reactions to the crimes.
Despite that, one of those stories doesn’t contribute much to the plot. In the end, for the sake of wrapping it up on a positive note, the individual personal crisis gets so easily solved, that it feels clumsy and hurried.
The interpersonal relations between the police officers have been shown very well and how differences in their priorities govern their approach. The banters between them have been kept in check, and don’t take focus from the events to the characters. In a nutshell, the characters don’t stand a hindrance to the plot itself which is a problem for many Bengali crime thrillers. The allotment of these two aspects has been done well.
The performances across the board have been very well-balanced. The standout performances belong to seasoned and intimidating Bratya Basu whose character borrows many things from Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lectre but whatever the influence may be, he made the role his own. That’s why we can call it an influence not an imitation. Another worth mentioning performance belongs to Tanika Basu who plays the autistic daughter of the character Anirban plays. She is truly a revelation, easily the soft corner of the film, being the most emotional arc.
Shantanu Maheshwari effortlessly blends in his debut Bengali appearance as a rookie junior police officer who is trying to fit in the unit by being an outsider. The dynamics he shares with seniors are seamlessly woven into the narrative.
Tota Roy Chowdhury helms his acting chops as he takes the role of a homicide detective head with a troubled personal life. As the plot delves into his personal life, we witness his dysfunctional married life where the clash of ego with wife hampers his psyche. A black spot in his professional career comes back as déjà vu as he investigates the serial killings.
Anirban Chakraborty takes the most grounded role in the cast, his relationship with his autistic daughter is the most humane of all the backstories. The respective actors were earnest and sincere as the roles demanded. Tanika Basu, Swastika Dutta, Raima Sen,
Aninditaa Bose and Priya Banerjee are all excellent and make their presence felt.
Although given much shorter screen space Apurba dominates every scene he is in, his high baritone voice adds another layer to the impact his role generates. However, the character does not have a proper closure, which is a problem with almost every character in the film.
Conclusion
Despite being an investigative thriller, the film never tries to delve deep into the police procedural elements too much, and a particular twist for luring the suspect is too far-fetched to buy in. The film switches to the Whydunit post-interval block, which works mostly for the runtime.
Although having roped in a character just for the muscle, there are no such fight scenes involved for that character which seems odd.
The film’s only fight scene is expertly choreographed and shot with an unconventional use of lighting seen in Bengali films.
The lead characters are shown as humane rather than super-copish which makes them believable rather than larger than life which indicates that the director is not going with the flow of other similar Bengali films.
Pratim D. Gupta’s return to Bengali films has been quite good and is devoid of gimmicks and hero worship.
With the sequel being officially announced by the director, it is a step on the right path for sure as this film has made considerable effort to satisfy all the genre tickboxes.
Despite some glaring issues in many departments, the film manages to hold your attention with its smart editing and some believable side plots to believe in, and it never shifts focus from the central murder mystery.
