The trailer of the upcoming Bengali mystery thriller Porichoy Gupta briefly introduces the main characters and offers glimpses into the story’s background. Directed by Ron Raj and with its story and screenplay by Ayantika Banerjee, the film boasts an impressive cast list including Ritwick Chakraborty, Indraneil Sengupta, Joy Sengupta and Darshana Banik.

The three-minute-long trailer also provides enough material to suggest that it will deal with paranormal experiences, which are linked with the mysterious and tragic occurrences in the lives of its characters. The trailer makes it obvious that the story is set in an earlier time. The grand old mansion inhabited by the protagonists recalls that of the zamindars of the British era. A sequence towards the end also features a British lady leaving the mansion and indicates that the film may also have a story-within-a-story plot structure. The makers have also tried to stay true to the look and feel of the period through costumes and props like chandeliers, telephones, vintage cars and so on. Although it is a period film, the story seems to navigate through at least two time periods, perhaps narrating the story of a single family through two or three generations.

The characters of Ritwick and Darshana, a married couple, are shown to have an uneasy, strained relationship. Darshana, who is depicted as forthright and impetuous in the beginning, is also shown to be nervous and frightened towards the end of the trailer. Ritwick, who is perhaps visually-impaired, comes across as a character with grey shades. Most of the other characters are also layered and complex, and are shrouded by a veil of mystery and secrecy. Premonitions of horror and dread pervade the whole length of the trailer and the presence of unearthly spirits in the mansion are suggested, especially in the shots featuring Joy Sengupta as a transvestite, supposedly blessed with divine powers. Indraneil Sengupta’s character, who arrives as a visitor to the mansion and is entrusted with the responsibility of getting to the bottom of the sinister happenings there, is the only one who comes off as apparently straightforward and trustworthy.

Though its music and atmospherics intensify an eerie feeling and a sense of foreboding, the song snippets in the Porichoy Gupta trailer give off fresh, lively and romantic vibes, balancing to some extent the dark and dubious overtones of the film. Porichoy Gupta will hit the big screen on November 15.