Scripting story ideas for films abound in the cauldron of multiple varieties with no dearth of concepts of spirit possession, spooks and reincarnation surfacing in the filmmaker’s mind to turn the hair of his captive audience and bewilder them. The creative flows from the subconscious, the treasure house of inner perception, which takes shape through the vehicle of cinema. A recent film venture may be catalysing in incorporating these elements in a new Bengali film, Pori, directed by Tapan Dutta, whose storyline conceptualisation introduces spooks, superstition, spirit possession and reincarnation, was screened at its premiere show on 22 November 2024 at Padmashree in Garia, south Kolkata.

Director Tapan Dutta, who began his film career as an actor, made a volte-face as a film director with his debut film, Bhorer Pakhi (2011). Pori marks his eighth film venture produced by Mouparna Dutta. Most of his previous films, like Mayar Jaler Khela, are derived mostly from his own story ideas as an independent filmmaker with his own production house. Most of the location shooting of Pori takes place predominantly at Jhargram, Madhyamgram and Diamond Harbour, where the situation demands.

Pori (played by Ahona) picks up audience interest during the second half of the film when the screenplay progresses with a somewhat banal opening scene of a birthday party, celebrating child Pori’s coming of age. The young parents of Pori (Sarmistha Bhattacharia, Palash Ganguly) lead a normal domestic life when things go awry and topsy-turvy. The circumstances take a downward turn when the child is all set to visit her grandmother (Debika Mitra) with her parents driving all the way to a remote area of their rural home at Jhargram. The rustic scenery is lush with greenery that becomes part of the scenario till they return to their urban metropolis home.

The hopeful journey of expectations and surprises unleashes a chain of horrors that harks back to a legend. While on a discovery spree of the natural surroundings, Pori discovers a mysterious veiled figure of a young woman roaming the woods. The girl engages in a conversation with what appears to be a spirit that haunts the premises. The spook appears only to Pori and no other household members. The ghost resembles Pori but is more mature, bejewelled and attired in an ornate saree. After this visitation, Pori is possessed by the spirit of this strange, mysterious woman and spends many sleepless, nightmarish nights.

Pori visualises that the veiled woman in her previous incarnation was forcibly burnt as the child widow of the dead husband. She repeatedly views this horrendous scene of bride burning that haunts her and makes her life miserable. Her parents, apparently troubled by their daughter’s strange behaviour, are made to consult a tantric (godman) to exorcise the troubled spirit that haunts Pori. That fails when it is discovered that the so-called godman is an imposter and a charlatan dealing in contraband supplies of drugs when he is nabbed by the long arm of the law.

Finally, Pori is taken to a parapsychologist who treats this kind of strange phenomenon and endeavours to cure the girl. But it turns out that the pillow taken from her grandmother’s rural bungalow extends its fear psychosis tactics of possessing Pori. The pillow, a symbol of the past, is finally destroyed after the discovery of the spirit’s jewellery and mortal remains concealed inside the pillowcase. Pori is finally healed from the evil effects of the past life spirit and returns to normal life with her parents. All this may appear a bit far-fetched and prove to what heights and depths the director’s imagination may give indulgence to win an audience.

This is a film that leaves viewers in a willing suspension of disbelief. Ahona in the role of Pori excels as the horrified girl, while her parents, Sarmistha Bhattacharia and Palash Ganguly, are just about adequate. Devika Mitra as the grandmother has a professional polish to her natural acting. There is picturisation of only two songs (one Tagorean), which is part of the thrills and frills to enhance its entertainment values.

The writer is an independent contributor

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