The acclaimed Bengali independent film Duyare Bibaho is set to captivate a new audience as it continues its successful festival circuit. After making a notable appearance at the prestigious NFDC Film Bazaar during the International Film Festival of India in November 2025, the film is now gearing up for its next showcase.
From Goa to Kerala: The Festival Journey
The film's next destination is the Kerala Film Market, an integral part of the International Film Festival of Kerala. This market is scheduled to be held from December 13 to 16, providing a crucial platform for the film to connect with distributors, festival programmers, and cinema enthusiasts from across the globe. This move highlights the growing recognition and travel of compelling regional cinema within India's vibrant film festival ecosystem.
A Dark Satire on Loneliness and Governance
Written, shot, and directed by Amitabha Chaterji, Duyare Bibaho presents a high-concept, thought-provoking narrative. The film constructs a dystopian yet familiar city where loneliness is officially declared a civic problem. The government's peculiar solution is a welfare scheme that literally delivers marriage to citizens' doorsteps.
The story follows two agents who traverse neighbourhoods, tasked with persuading the lonely to wed. Their methods range from gentle coaxing to outright manipulation, effectively reducing human intimacy to a cold, bureaucratic exercise. What begins as a layer of absurd humour gradually peels back to reveal a deeply unsettling reality. In this world, companionship is stripped of personal choice, becoming a state-mandated arrangement, and marriage transforms into mere documentation to prove one's existence to the system.
Grounding the Concept with Powerful Performances
The film's ambitious premise is powerfully anchored by the restrained and compelling performances of its cast. Deshaa Nandii, Amrita Mukhopadhyay, Partha Sarathi Chandra, and Jagannath Chakraborty bring a sense of lived emotion and authenticity to the screen. Their portrayals ensure the film's speculative concept resonates on a deeply human level, making the social critique all the more potent.
Chaterji's Signature Storytelling
Director Amitabha Chaterji, known for his contemplative and socially incisive cinema, employs a distinct directorial approach. He masterfully uses quiet procedures, rehearsed politeness, and mundane everyday routines to blur the lines between comedy and profound unease. This technique slowly builds a sense of dread, forcing viewers to confront an urgent contemporary question: How far can governance intrude into private lives under the guise of public welfare and social good?
As Duyare Bibaho opens itself to new audiences in Kerala, it solidifies its position as a timely and important cinematic work. It serves as a sharp reflection on modern epidemics of loneliness, the insidious nature of systemic control, and the quiet violence inflicted by structures that seek to regulate fundamental human connections. Its continued festival journey is a testament to the relevance and power of independent cinema to provoke discussion and reflection.
