Kaashful, the first, and perhaps only documentary surrounding the heinous R.G. Kar rape and murder case in Kolkata, chronicles the uprising following a human tragedy that shook West Bengal for over three months last year.
The incident jolted the state from its usual laid-back rhythm, halting festivals and bringing its typically complacent society onto the streets in a wave of its trademark, “cultural protests”.
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In just eight months, Kaashful has garnered international acclaim, winning a plethora of awards across festivals in Asia, Europe, and Americas.
Directed by Indo-Canadian filmmaker and debutant, Aneesh Chatterjee and produced by Canada-based media production house and debutant, KAA Media Films, the film features an innovative visual metaphor in the form of a clay statue of the Devil, specially crafted by renowned sculptor Debayal Pal. Here’s a chat with journalist-turned-producer Kaberi Dutta Chatterjee. Excerpts:
How did the idea crop up?
Around July in 2024, I was in discussion with another renowned Bengali film director from Kolkata, about three of my short stories, that he was interested in making into a Bengali film trilogy. The shooting date was getting confirmed, and I was to be in Kolkata in November, 2024, for 3 months.
But then destiny intervened.
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My son, Aneesh Chatterjee—a Gold Medalist in filmmaking—had just wrapped up his corporate contract as a Content Developer. He hadn’t been to his homeland, Kolkata for a long time, and the lure of Durga Puja after a decade being away, was too strong to resist. So we did something spontaneous—we scrapped November, preponed everything, and booked our tickets for October, right in time for the Durga Puja season.
And then it happened. On August 9, the RG Kar tragedy shook Bengal to its core. We had just booked our tickets a a week earlier. Coincidence? No. I feel it was something far bigger. It felt like it was a calling.
Because this wasn’t just another incident. This was an uprising I had never witnessed in my lifetime—the city’s so-called “laid-back” rhythm shattered, its festivals paused, its complacency burned away. People were on the streets, armed with nothing but their voices, in a wave of Kolkata’s trademark ‘cultural protest’.
But the director hesitated—this wasn’t his battleground.
And that’s when my son, Aneesh, looked at me and said the words that changed everything: “Mom, I’ll do the film.”
Sitting there in Canada and conceiving of such a subject, how tough was it?
Tough? Not even close. Distance is an illusion. When Kolkata bleeds, you feel it in your veins no matter where you are. From the very first moment, it wasn’t planning, it was possession—like a force had grabbed me by the collar and hurled me straight into the storm. There were no roadblocks, only acceleration.
We were so fired up, we were ready to throw our luggage together and fly out at any cost. But the dates were fixed, and that meant a restless, almost unbearable wait, while the city we loved erupted night after night without us.
So, I refused to sit idle. I plugged myself into every WhatsApp group, every livestream, every social media thread—desperate to stay tethered to the heartbeat of Kolkata. I wasn’t just watching; I was participating, strategizing, setting the stage from across the oceans. By the time we touched down, I had already built the skeleton of the film, built the team, talked to the the renowned sculptor, Debayan Pal, and his team was ready for action. Shooting and editing timelines were mapped, schedules carved out, jet lag accounted for, cast and crew were hired in lightning speed.
By the time we finally touched Kolkata soil, the machine was already built. We didn’t arrive to start—we arrived to detonate.
Coordination is the USP to success – the Canada-Kolkata angle…
Coordination was surprisingly smooth. All our participants and co-creators were professional, enthusiastic and fully engaged with the project. Their passion for the subject matter was strong at every step. We, thankfully, had no delays, no rescheduling. Even the weather was on our side for the outdoor shooting days.
The RG Kar Global Protest was happening right here in Toronto, and I was in it, shoulder-to-shoulder with the diaspora, my voice and placards carrying the same rage and grief as the crowds back home. At the same time, my own school alumni—Calcutta Girls’ High School—were on the frontlines in Kolkata. I was with them too, virtually. All day and night, glued to live streams, WhatsApp feeds, live TV, adrenaline pumping as if I were marching beside them.
And then came the moment of ignition. The second the idea sparked, I fired off a message to my long-time friend and colleague, Suvashis Mullick, who is a powerhouse filmmaker and photographer on the ground in Kolkata. And just like that, we were in motion. He was already on the streets, lens trained on the chaos, sometimes filming straight through the night. Because of the time difference, while Kolkata burned with protest energy, I was wide awake in Canada, plugged in live.
The response seems to be growing, any elaborate plans on the marketing front?
Absolutely! The response so far has been overwhelming with 2 Best Director Awards, 2 Best Film awards and 9 other awards from film festivals in Asia, Europe and America. And we’re not taking it lightly. Kaashful is already submitted to Sundance Film Festival for January Festival, and we are hoping for the best. Kaashful, with an IMBD rating of 10, was never meant to just be a film, it’s a movement, and movements need reach.
On the ground, we’re in talks with distributors and platforms who have the courage to carry a story like this to the world. We’re currently looking at potential distribution for Kaashful so that it may reach a broader audience.
And of course, festivals are our battlefield. Kaashful has already made its mark at global festivals, and we plan to leverage that momentum. Every laurel isn’t just an award, it’s a megaphone.
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On a different note, the heinous crime shook the conscience of the nation, how would your product create a difference?
The documentary attempts to make a difference by asking a broader question of why sexual violence has the significance it does in society — and proposing the simplicity of evolving cultural values to overcome the roots of sexist traditions, beliefs customs that pave the way for such atrocities. This crime wasn’t just an event in Bengal — it was a mirror held up to all of humanity. What happened at R.G. Kar forces us to confront a truth we’d rather turn away from: that such violence has repeated itself across history, across cultures, across borders. And each time, society moves on too quickly, leaving the scars to fade in silence.
A lowdown on your plans looking ahead
Since Kaashful came to us, we are committed to taking Kaashful as far as it wants to go—through festival circuits, community screenings, and global platforms—until it brings the desired change. This isn’t just a film release; it’s a movement. We haven’t yet made a single penny from the film. Every screening, every discussion, every conversation it triggers is part of a larger mission: to awaken conscience, stir reflection, and ensure that the story resonates long after the credits roll. Beyond marketing Kaashful and getting it to broader audiences, Kaa Media is interested in multi-genre projects ranging from character dramas, science fiction, horror and beyond.