Sudipto Sen's Charak to premiere at 75th Berlin International Film Festival

Sen is helming the project as a producer. The film is directed by Sheiladitya Moulik.

As millions of Hindus congregate for what is the largest gathering of humanity anywhere on the planet for the religious festival of Kumbh Mela, Sen is helming, as producer of Sipping Tea Cinemas, a new film, Charak (Fear of Faith) which delves into the darkest corners of occult practices and diverse unthinkable acts, including child sacrifice. 

Based on real life incidents reported in the Indian media, Charak takes place during the annual festival of Charak Mela, where devotees venerate the Hindu gods, Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali. 

The film features Sahidur Rahaman, Sashi Bhushan and Anjali Patil in the lead.

Synopsis

The story essentially probes the unsettling clash between faith and humanity, exploring how faith can push ordinary people to extraordinary and horrifying acts of cruelty and violence.

Two school children go missing during the Charak festival – sparking fear and uncertainty among the local populace and then a body of one is discovered, while another remains missing and this ignites further panic and despair - and rumours abound as festival fervour is everywhere. 

The missing boy, Birsa is known to Sukumar, an auto rickshaw driver who along with his wife, Bimla have always coveted a child of their own and though they love Birsa who is the son of their troubled friend Bikash and his loyal wife Sabitri, Sukumar will go to any lengths to appease the Gods in the hope that they will fulfil his most fervent wish.

Sukumar enlists the help of an Aghori Sadhu (an ascetic order of Hindu Holy men) who have a fascination with death – they often live near cremation sites and their practices are rooted in a medieval India, where superstition, mystery and the occult flourished more widely.

There is a police investigation which faces limited resources and experiences political interference – the pursuit of justice shifts from suspicions of sacrificial rituals to human trafficking, becoming even murkier when the body of one of the missing boys and a forest guard Baga is discovered. And this is just the beginning of further twists and shocks. 

Sudipto Sen said, "This film will have huge international appeal and delves into an area of faith and tradition that is hardly mentioned or barely recognised in modern India – and yet it exists and presents a danger to those communities where such powerful emotions and beliefs can go unchecked.

"Faith is a complex business; it both inspires and can destroy…Making this film is both a way of addressing and tackling abhorrent belief systems which do not reflect wider cultural and religious practice in India."

"A 5,000-year-old culture still has much of value and can be cherished but it can only be strengthened by attacking extreme and outlandish ideas and exposing them – while at the same time showing the world that there is also beauty and wisdom in existence beyond materialism and money and spirituality can lead to a generous and compassionate path.

"We want to touch people’s souls on a global level – reflecting diversity of Indian culture and arriving at a place with a new respect for Bharatvarsh - a symbol of a culture that can look inwards as well as outwards," Sen concluded.

Director Sheiladitya Moulik added: “This film will make a powerful impression on the viewer – it is an ode to traditional storytelling. I want to provide insights into the blurred lines between devotion and suffering. The film explores the psychology of devotion, portraying pain transforming into piety and ritual as a means of transcendence.”