Bengali Film ‘Karpoor’ Revisits CPM Era Education Scam & Mysterious Disappearance Of A Lady

In recent times, the release of politically nuanced films ahead of elections has become a pattern too deliberate to ignore. Movies like Uri or The Kashmir Files, The Accidental Prime Minister or Mein Atal Hoon’s releases were timed so as to stir public sentiment during elections time. Now, with West Bengal’s assembly elections scheduled next year, acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Arindam Sil is on overdrive to get his film Karpoor, released this December. A politically charged mystery thriller it could test the boundaries between art and electoral influence. Karpoor is based on Dipanwita Roy’s novel Antardhaner Nepathye, which draws from the real-life disappearance of Manisha Mukhopadhyay, a former Assistant Controller at the University of Calcutta. Her vanishing in 1997, amid an alleged education scam, rocked Bengal’s academic and political landscape and triggered accusations against the then-ruling CPI(M) regime. Nearly three decades later, Sil revisits the unsolved case, threading it through dual timelines — 1997 and 2019 — with veteran actress Rituparna Sengupta leading the cast. The film is already generating buzz, not just for its sensitive storyline but also for its notable ensemble, which includes several political figures stepping into acting roles. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh makes his screen debut in a role reportedly inspired by the late CPI(M) heavyweight Anil Biswas. Minister and theatre stalwart Bratya Basu portrays the lead investigator, while TMC councillor Ananya Bandopadhyay takes on the role of a powerful media editor. Despite the presence of figures aligned with West Bengal’s ruling party, Sil has firmly denied any deliberate political messaging. The film’s content and timing could reignite and provoke fresh political discourse in the state.