Chaalchitro: The Frame Fatale Movie Review : A new slick story about serial killers

With Chaalchitro - The Frame Fatale, director Pratim D Gupta delves into the mind of a murderer. Though the premises may remind some of the Srijit Mukherji cop-verse, here the director manages to produce quite an intriguing story. Kanishka Chatterjee (Tota Roy Chowdhury) is a driven cop who doesn’t hesitate to threaten or cajole to get things done. His relationship with wife Mili (Raima Sen) is quite rocky and he is haunted by a past trauma of discovering unutterable horror in the form of a series of murders that left an indelible mark on his psyche. As a fresh murder occurs, his fellow officer Naseer (Anirban Chakrabarti) finds drastic similarities between the new one and those from the past. As he joins forces with junior officers Ritesh (Shantanu Maheshwari) and Bishwa (Inderjeet Bose), it becomes apparent that the murderer had a theme in mind.
The director develops the story in a way that leaves a lot of clues for the viewers to guess along the way and figure out the who’s and the why’s, making this an interesting mind game. Add to it sharp editing and great cinematography (Turja Ghosh), the film streaks ahead. Dialogues are sharp and relevant, and used judiciously. Background music and sound add to the thrills, while the music (Debojyoti Mishra) is used tastefully.
What stands out in the film is the interpersonal development that would compel the audience to empathise with not just the lead but the smaller, yet extremely significant characters. One such would be Anirban Chakrabarti (Naseer) and his daughter Putul’s (Tanika Basu) relationship. The father-daughter dynamic is remarkable. On the other hand, Shantanu Maheshwari as the newbie officer, Ritesh, strikes a firm balance between tenderness and toughness, while Inderjeet Bose as the gym-going, intake-conscious cop Bishwa has a tender soul that shines through. This is perhaps where Chaalchitro wins, where the characters come alive through simple brushstrokes. Bratya Basu’s tiny role makes an incredible impact in the overall tone of the film, while Tanika Basu plays Putul with a beautiful balance where many may go overboard.
The drama intensifies significantly in the first half, but in the second half, loses its steam a little bit, only to draw out a strong climax. There are also some obvious questions that go unanswered. Otherwise, Chaalchitro is a must-watch during the festive season if you like thrills and action!