After the loss of her only daughter, Ela, a former actress, not only loses her identity as a mother but also the only reason to be with her husband. While trying to find a new identity for herself, she tries to reignite her relationship with an old lover who suddenly resurfaces in her life. Desperate to move out of her husband’s house and buy a place of her own, Ela confronts her step-brother to claim her half of the share in their ancestral property. But he refuses to comply as he lives with a deep-seated resentment for Ela’s mother. When even the banks refuse to give her a loan, Ela eventually succumbs to the lascivious overtures of her boss, who runs a real-estate business through a ponzi scheme. When the crimes of Ela’s boss are discovered, Ela loses her new-found identity, love and independence all at once.
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Festival Appearances
Venice International Film Festival 2021
El Gouna Film Festival 2021 – NETPAC Special Mention
New Directors New Films MoMA 2022
New York Indian Film Festival 2022 – Winner Best Director
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Aditya Vikram Sengupta
Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s debut film, Labour of Love (2014), premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the FEDEORA for Best Debut Film. The film also received two Indian National Film Awards in 2015 including the prestigious Golden Lotus for Best Debut Film. His second feature, Jonaki (2018), had its World Premiere at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam. It went on to receive the Silver Gateway Award and the Best Film on Gender Equality at MAMI. Once Upon a Time in Calcutta was the first ever Bengali language feature to be a part of Cannes Cinéfondation’s L’Atelier at the Cannes Film Festival.
Fri, 4 Nov | 7:20 pm | Main Audi