Kaisi Ye Paheli, the first feature by filmmaker Ananyabrata Chakravorty, is heading to the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) for its world premiere on 21 June. The film, which has also landed nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Debut Film, unfolds as a dark comedy set in a sleepy north-eastern hill town, where a lonely mother tries to reconnect with her distant son, a cop, by helping him solve a murder.
Chakravorty deliberately chose an unconventional tone for a very emotional subject. “We wanted to talk about loneliness and strained family ties, but without making it heavy,” he says. “Dark comedy lets us open up serious issues while still keeping people engaged. It’s how we get them to stay, watch, and then reflect.”
The director says the story wasn’t crafted to tick festival boxes. “We didn’t take the usual route. We told a story we believed in and on our own terms. And the NYIFF recognition feels even more special because of that,” he adds.
A quiet storm of emotions and forgotten relationships
The story revolves around a woman trying to bridge a painful gap with her grown-up son. Set against the scenic beauty of Sikkim, the film explores themes rarely spoken about in Indian cinema, especially the emotional vacuum many older women feel, particularly when their roles as mothers go unacknowledged.
Veteran actress Sadhana Singh returns to the screen in the lead role. “Sadhana ji brings warmth, dignity, and vulnerability to the character. She didn’t need much direction. She just understood the soul of the part,” Chakravorty shares. The cast also includes Kaala Paani’s Sukant Goel, Rajit Kapur who returns as a Bengali detective, and Chittaranjan Giri.
Produced by Nishu Dikshit and Take Pictures, Kaisi Ye Paheli is not just a quirky murder mystery; it’s a mirror to the invisible cracks in family relationships. And by wrapping it in humour, the film dares you to smile before it makes you think.
