Bhootpori: A Delightful Fusion of Fantasy and Comedy by Soukarya Ghoshal

Reminiscent of Leela Majumdar's children's books, Soukarya Ghoshal, who received critical praise in 2018 for Rainbow Jelly, returns with Bhootpori, a charming blend of humor and fantasy.

Similar to Rainbow Jelly, Bhootpori centers on a youthful lead character named Surja, who is expertly portrayed by rookie Bishantak Mukherjee. During Durga Puja, Surja's mother Shilalipi (Sudiptaa Chakraborty) takes him to their ancestral home to recuperate since he begins to sleepwalk at night. The mansion is full with mysteries, such as the story of the spiritual leader Kalo Thakur (Shantilal Mukherjee) and the neighboring haunted forest.


Surja walks into the bush despite being warned not to, and there he meets and befriends Bonolota (Jaya Ahsan), a nice ghost. After seeing that Bonolota hasn't slept since her passing, Surja makes the decision to assist in releasing her soul. Additionally, Makhon (Ritwick Chakraborty), a kind thief, meets Surja and agrees to be his guide for the quest.

Bengali literature, which presents ghosts as amiable and mischievous, serves as an influence for Bhootpori. The chats between Surja and Bonolota may bring to mind the exchanges between Barun and Nidhiram Sardar in Gosainbaganer Bhoot, written by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. Reminiscent of stories I had read in magazines like Anandamela, the sequences in which Surja rummages through ancient furniture in the storage room or investigates the tunnels Makhon's ancestors constructed as escape routes for robbers, wind through the hamlet.

Ghoshal handles the paranormal lightly while drawing attention to wrongdoings in Bengal during the colonial period, such as human sacrifice, and the social upheaval that was occurring via a side story centered on the remarriage of a young widow named Bonolota.

We have an independent lady in Bonolota who doesn't want to bother her father, and Jaya Ahsan is eerily beautiful in her role as the lone ghost, her kohl-smeared eyes conveying a great deal of the suffering she has gone through since her tragic death. Sudiptaa Chakraborty and Ritwick Chakraborty both play their parts with ease.

Thanks to set designer Ananda Addhya and costume designer Pooja Chatterjee, Ghoshal's world construction is excellent and meticulous. The eerie atmosphere of the movie is enhanced by Aalok Maiti's photography and Nabarun Bose's background soundtrack. One is kept interested throughout by Arghyakamal Mitra's deft editing.

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