''Kaliachak Chapter 1'' is a 2024 Indian Bengali-language

crime thriller film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as drama or gangster film, but al ...

directed by Ratool Mukherjee. The ensemble cast includes Asim Aktar,

Rupanjana Mitra Rupanjana Mitra is an Indian actress of Bengali film and television. Biography Mitra has been working in Bengali film and television since 2000. She made her debut in the television serial '' Chokher Bali''. She married Rezaul Hauqe in 20 ...

, Partha Sarathi, Deboprasad Haldar and Debapratim Dasgupta. Produced by Sahi Bangla Films, the film was released on 2 August 2024. It is based on the 2021 murder of four members of a family in

Kaliachak Kaliachak is a town in the Kaliachak I Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Kaliachak consists 4 Census Town Silampur, Karari Chandpur, Baliadanga a ...

in the

Malda district Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in West Bengal, India. The capital of the Bengal Sultanate, Gauda and Pandua, was situated in this district. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. The music is done by Vikky singh and the Sound designer and mixing engineer of the film is Silajit Chakraborty A sequel, ''Kaliachak Chapter 2'', was announced in January 2025.

Synopsis

The film is set in

, a village in

. Based on a true event, it explores how

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

, lack of education,

domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

and poor upbringing lead

young adults In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

into crime. The narrative centers around a 19-year-old Asik Ahmed, who is involved in the murder of four of his own family members. They were his father, mother, small sister and grandmother. Upon investigation, law enforcement officers discovered their decomposed bodies from an abandoned place. On further investigation, the officials got to know about Asik’s computer hacking skills. Despite confessing for the homicides, he shows no remorse for his action. Following this tragic incident, the film highlights the struggles of law enforcement officials dealing with gangs and criminal organizations in this seemingly quiet but troubled village.

Cast

* Asim Aktar as Asik Ahmed *

West Bengal Police The West Bengal Police () is the primary law enforcement agency for the Indian state of West Bengal, excluding the metropolitan area of Kolkata, which has its own separate police force. It is responsible for maintaining public order, preventing ...

Officer Sudha Malakar * Partha Sarathi * Deboprasad Haldar * Debapratim Dasgupta as Ashiq's father * Mrinmoy Das

Production

The film was officially announced in November 2023. In an interview with Arindam Chatterjee from ''The Telegraph'', Director Ratool Mukherjee expressed ''"''Protagonist Asim Aktar is an exceptionally dedicated actor, always eager to learn. He followed my instructions with the diligence of an attentive student and sought advice from senior actors on set to enhance his performance''"''. He also stated that Atanu, Asim and his team had literally scrutinised every news article, every video footage and every news report on the incident to form the core of this film.

Soundtrack

Release

The film's trailer was made available on several digital platforms. Initially the film was supposed to release on 14 June, but due to various controversies, including protests by residents of Kaliachak alleging defamation of their village, the film was postponed and finally released on 2 August.

Reception

Debarshi Bandopadhyay from ''

Anandabazar Patrika ''Anandabazar Patrika'' is an Indian Bengali-language daily newspaper owned by the ABP Group. Its main competitors are ''Bartaman'', '' Ei Samay'', '' Sangbad Pratidin'', " Aajkal", " Jago Bangla", " ganashakti" and " dainik Statesman". Histo ...

'' rated the film 6 out of 10 stars and concluded "Many young filmmakers are interested in making films on new topics with a low budget and emotional reliance. In 2021, four members of a family were murdered in Kaliachak. The film is primarily based on that incident." Although he criticised the plot, he praised the acting of the cast, specially Asim and the touch of reality interwoven with the society.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 32523329 2020s Bengali-language films 2020s Indian films 2024 action thriller films 2024 controversies Action thriller films based on actual events Bengali-language Indian films Bengali-language crime thriller films Crime thriller films based on actual events Fictional portrayals of the West Bengal Police Films about child abuse Films about domestic violence Films about dysfunctional families Films about families Films about murder Films about organised crime in India Films about patricide Films about poverty in India Films about siblicide Films set in 2021 Films set in West Bengal Films shot in Kolkata Films shot in West Bengal Indian action thriller films Indian crime thriller films Indian family films Indian films based on actual events Indian gangster films Indian murder mystery films Indian police films Indian teen drama films Malda district Obscenity controversies in film Police detective films