How Kahaani director's new short film leaves viewers hooked

It has been three years since Sujoy Ghosh pleasantly surprised audiences with Kahaani which went on to attain both critical acclaim and box office success, and also earned plenty of awards for its leading lady, Vidya Balan. The filmmaker returns to Kolkata yet again this time for a short film titled Ahalya, which gives the mythical tale from the Ramayana a nifty, unsettling spin. He released the film on YouTube.

Starring Radhika Apte, the legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee and Tota Roy Chowdhury, the 14-minute film centres on an inspector (Roy Chowdhury) who visits a house to investigate the disappearance of a young man and finds himself attracted, fatally, to a mysterious young woman, Ahalya (Apte). As he starts questioning the man of the house (Chatterjee) for details, he is confounded when told of the magical powers of a stone in the house. Ghosh showcases the power of seduction and dangers of desire in this captivating short. Like Kahaani, this one's an intriguing thriller which keeps you hooked, especially in trying to decode what the odd coupling of Chatterjee and Apte are up to.

Apte, who has acted in Marathi, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films, dubbed in Bengali for the film.