Aniket (Abir Chatterjee), the son of a famed paranormal investigator and writer is attempting to preserve his father’s legacy, a rundown printing press and periodical named ‘Shob Bhooturey‘ (transl: ‘All Things Supernatural’). He crosses paths with a soft-spoken woman Nandini (Sohini Sarkar), claiming to be a medium gifted with the ability to see spirits. Subsequently he is visited by a helpless headmaster seeking out a paranormal investigator to look into the hauntings and deaths plaguing his village school. The school is nearly abandoned due to fear setting in among the villagers and their children, especially after a tragic incident resulting in the death of a young girl which also rendered her classmate mute. Despite being a sceptic himself, Aniket agrees to the case, resulting in metaphorical skeletons tumbling out.
It would be easy to dismiss “Shob Bhooturey” as just another ghost story. However, out of all the movies that I’ve checked off my Spooky Season watchlist so far, this Bengali horror offering by filmmaker Birsa Dasgupta stands out the most. Considering recent incidents such as the Satya Niketan Boys’ Hostel collapse in the heart of India’s capital city —as well as ongoing state-wide protests demanding better schools and healthcare — the backstory of the ghosts and events unfolding in “Shob Bhooturey” mirror these real-life scenarios.
Horror Mixed with Justice
The movie succeeds as both a horror and a think piece on how accountability is dead and buried. Here, the victims and survivors are abandoned and forgotten with no apology in sight, while their families are left in the dark grappling for answers. Despite its jump scares and tropes, “Shob Bhooturey” remains grounded, focusing on the real horrors of living in a ‘developing’ nation where countless young lives are lost to negligence from higher powers. Citizens are put at risk and students aren’t even guaranteed to return home to their families due to poor infrastructure which could come crashing down on them and their futures at any given second. It comments on a country where justice for victims or for their grieving kin is unheard of.
Thus, even the adventure of the protagonists develops into a mission to impart justice for those who were wronged, and treated as invisible/voiceless in society, without the group realising it. A heartbreaking scene that instantly reduced me to tears involves Nandini being hounded by the spirits of school kids and crying out in anguish that all the young souls want to hear is a single sorry so they can move on to the afterlife.Â
The scares are sparse yet built up/set up well. The mystery behind Nandini proves engaging too. Verses from the poem “Amader Chhoto Nodi” (“Our Little River”) by Rabindranath Tagore recur in scenes of characters being lured into one of the haunted classrooms. Ir reminding me of the nursery rhyme in “The Blackcoat’s Daughter.” The use of the poem not only lends itself to the eery ambiance but also serves as an effective foreshadowing tool.
An Eye-opening Film
Apart from meaningful imagery, engaging storytelling, and well fleshed out characters (both dead and living), the movie also boasts of good acting from an impressive ensemble. The cast consists of notable names in the Bengali film industry such as Abir Chatterjee, Sohini Sarkar, Koushik Kar, and Supriyo Dutta. Sarkar in particular delivers a laudable performance as the long-suffering Nandini, who is a victim of emotional duress brought on by her ‘gift’.
While most horror movies prompt viewers to shut their eyes to what’s unfolding on-screen or watch through the gaps in their fingers, “Shob Bhooturey,” on the contrary, is an eye opener. And even though the resolution is rather wholesome, the movie is still guaranteed to leave one sobbing after the end credits roll.
“Shob Bhooturey” is available to stream on the Hoichoi streaming platform.
