Charak

Charak is a haunting tale where blind faith collides with humanity, as a village’s devotion during the Charak Mela descends into terror when belief turns sacrifice into a monstrous act.

Synopsis: 

In the quiet, remote village of eastern part of India, the story unfolds during the Charak Mela, a festival steeped in devotion to Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali. It's a world where ancient rituals and occult practices bring devotees from afar, driven by a powerful belief: even sacrificing a child could fulfil even the most impossible desires. Against this back-drop, the story probes the unsettling clash between faith and humanity, exploring how belief can push ordinary people to extraordinary-and horrifying-acts.

The Charak Mela is a spectacle of intense devotion, with trance-induced men piercing iron hooks through their skin, fire-walking devotees, aghoris wielding human skulls, and mournful dances around symbolic sacrifices.

The festival's fervor sets the stage for a shocking in-cident: two local school children, Birsa and Kanu, go missing. Days later, Kanu's body is discovered in a pond, while Birsa remains missing, triggering panic and despair among their families and the village. Central to the story is Sukumar, an autorickshaw driver whose faith has transformed into an insatiable desire. Though he and his barren wife Bimla have come to love Birsa, the son of his troubled friend Bikash and loyal Sabitri, Sukumar's belief that a sacrifice could fulfil his longed-for dreams leads him to contemplate an unspeakable act. The narrative unfolds with multiple layers of relationships and ambitions: the tender friendship between Birsa and Kanu, the scheming of local politician Shantiram, the companionship of police officer Subhash and his wife Shefali, and the quiet but dark alliances Sukumar forms with people like jagan, a fellow driver, and Bhima, an aghori ready to assist in sacrificial rituals.