Bengali thriller ‘Mushroom’ trailer out; Life of Pi VFX artist Samik Roy Choudhury makes acting debut

The film is written and directed by Samik Roy Choudhury, who also plays the lead role of Palash in his first feature-film acting appearance.

Choudhury is a filmmaker and visual effects artist whose credits, the release said, include “Life of Pi,” “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.”

The film follows the murder of Palash, a psychiatrist found dead on his honeymoon at an isolated hill guest house.

Senior police officer Binod Ranjan Mukherjee investigates the case as the lines between victim, suspect and witness gradually blur as secrets and forbidden relationships come to light.

Sanat Chattopadhyay plays Mukherjee, and Sreya Bhattacharyya plays Pratyusha, the young bride while Poonam Gurung plays Yamini Burman, the owner of the guest house, and Tathagata Mukherjee plays Inspector Amaljot Adhikari.

“Mushroom” is shot in Bengali, Nepali and Hindi with English subtitles and runs for 84 minutes.

The release said the film has already secured an OTT deal with JioHotstar, without giving a streaming date.

Festival run

The makers said the film has been shown at national and international festivals, including the New York Indian Film Festival, the Berlin Indie Film Festival, the Swedish International Film Festival and the Jaisalmer International Film Festival.

It has won awards in categories including Best Film, Best Thriller, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay, the release said.