After exploring the genre of dark comedy, filmmaker Ratool Mukherjee’s upcoming film Kaliachak Chapter 1 ventures into the realm of crime and action, and is based on the criminal underbelly of small town and rural Bengal.

The trailer of the film which released on May 29 revealed that its fictional narrative, based in Kaliachak in Malda district of Bengal, will deal with a complex maze of characters who are involved in criminal activities like arson, extortion, smuggling, arms and drug dealing, murder and various other nefarious business. Poverty, lack of education, domestic abuse and the absence of any of the basic requisites of a good upbringing are seen as the reasons for which young adults step into a life of crime, from which there is no turning back. On the other side of the spectrum are law enforcers, engaged in a perpetual cat-and-mouse chase with the various gangs and syndicates. Domestic violence, political nexus, corruption in public life and allied themes are also touched upon in the trailer, which is riddled with scenes of violence.

The trailer also introduces the audience to the film’s ensemble cast of actors. Rupanjana Mitra who appears as a no-nonsense police officer, is supported by debutant actor Asim and others like Partha Sarathi, Deboprasad Halder, Debapratimm Dasgupta, Puja Saha, Mrinmoy Das and others. The title of the film also leads one to speculate that it may well be the first of a series of films about the saga of its protagonist or anti-hero and may signal the launch of its own criminal-cop universe. Full of violence, thrills, action sequences and edge-of-the-seat moments, the film clearly intends to be a massy action entertainer that Bengali film lovers can look forward to.