Crime thriller Ikir Mikir gets selected at 28th KIFF's Bengali Panorama

Kolkata: For young director Ratool Mukherjee, the connection with Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) dates back to 2018 when his film, 'Palok' was screened in the Short Film Competition category.

And now, four years later, Ratool is at the 28th edition of the KIFF with his debut Bengali directorial film 'Ikir Mikir' (Hocus Focus), which has been selected at the Bengali Panorama section. A crime thriller shot within seven days during the second wave of the Covid pandemic, the film stars Rajatava Dutta, Saurav Das, Rupanjana Mitra, Deboprasad Halder, among others.

Ratool remembered how he and his team had to endure a lot of logistical issues during the shoot of the film during Covid. 'Ikir Mikir' has been shot against the backdrop of the pandemic and narrates the incidents of a night when a murder of a security guard evolves two people (Rajatava and Rupanjana) as the prime suspects. Both of them have two different versions of the crime. But there is a third version, the truth.

"We tried to create claustrophobia through the audio-visual medium keeping the pandemic at the backdrop. Though the first half has a sense of thriller, the second half caters to an important social issue, which is less discussed," said the independent director at Nandan.

Saurav, who is known for web series like 'Chatritaheen' and 'Montu Pilot', will be seen playing a police officer in the film. The actor got nostalgic and said: "At one point in time as college goers, we used to look out for ways to get passes for the film fest. And now, my films are being screened at this prestigious film fest. This is a huge honour."

The film will be screened on December 22 at 5 pm at Nazrul Tirtha II.