Batshorik
A Bengali horror drama about grief and a death anniversary.
Batshorik, which translates to "Death Anniversary," is a Bengali horror drama film from India released in 2025. The story and direction were handled by Mainak Bhaumik, with Subhajit Mondal producing it under the Big Screen Productions House banner. This project is notable for bringing Satabdi Roy back to the big screen after a long break due to her political commitments. Roy shares the lead role with Ritabhari Chakraborty.
The plot follows Brishti, a woman who has been a widow for a year. Her sister-in-law, Sapna, visits for the batsorik—the first death anniversary of Brishti's husband, Neel. Once there, Sapna grows uneasy, sensing something off about the house. She also blames Brishti for encouraging Neel to buy the property, which Sapna thinks triggered his depression. The two women discover an old wooden box tied with wires, containing disturbing paintings by Neel. On top of the paintings lies a white sheet with the word "pishach" written on it. This find frightens both, but they react differently: Sapna performs rituals to contact Neel's spirit, while Brishti struggles with her grief, watching a friend marry, facing work troubles, and eventually turning to alcohol.
The cast includes Ritabhari Chakraborty as Brishti, Satabdi Roy as Swapna, Ishan Mazumder as Neel, Joydip Kundu as a neighbour, along with Aritraa Sengupta, Alok Sanyal, and a special appearance by Subhrajit Datta. Cinematography was done by Subhadeep Naskar, editing by Sumit Chowdhury, background score by Siljait Chakraborty, and the soundtrack by Savvy. The first look and poster featuring Roy and Chakraborty were released on 15 April 2025 for Poila Boisakh. The teaser came out on 12 May 2025, followed by the trailer on 31 May 2025. The film premiered at PVR INOX in South City Mall, South Kolkata, and hit theatres on 6 June 2025.
Critical reception was mixed. Poorna Banerjee of The Times of India gave it 3.5/5 stars, praising the jump scares, depiction of loss and grief, emotional slow burn, eerie atmosphere, background score, and lead performances, but criticizing the slow second half, overlong buildup, weak dialogue, and poor editing in spots. Shampali Moulik of Sangbad Pratidin commended Roy and Chakraborty's acting, Bhaumik's direction, cinematography, and music, but found the screenplay lacking for a horror film and the climax insufficiently intense. A critic from Aaro Ananda rated it
- release_year
- 2025
- language
- Bengali
- genre
- horror drama
- director
- Mainak Bhaumik
- producer
- Subhajit Mondal
- production_company
- Big Screen Productions House
- theatrical_release_date
- 6 June 2025
Lore & Background
The film follows Brishti, a widow, and her sister-in-law Sapna, who arrives for the batsorik, the first death anniversary of Brishti's husband, Neel. Sapna soon senses something unusual about the house and blames Brishti for persuading Neel to buy the property, which she believes led to his depression. The two discover an old wooden box containing disturbing paintings by Neel, topped with a white sheet bearing the word 'pishach'.
The discovery frightens both women, though they react differently: Sapna performs rituals to contact Neel's spirit, while Brishti struggles with her life after his death, facing problems at work and turning to alcohol. The cast includes Ritabhari Chakraborty as Brishti, Satabdi Roy as Swapna, Ishan Mazumder as Neel, Joydip Kundu as a neighbour, Aritraa Sengupta, Alok Sanyal, and Subhrajit Datta in a special appearance.
The first look and poster were released on 15 April 2025 on Poila Boisakh. The teaser was released on 12 May 2025, and the trailer on 31 May 2025. The film had its premiere at PVR INOX in South City Mall, South Kolkata.
Reader's Guide
Batshorik received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Poorna Banerjee of The Times of India rated it 3.5/5 stars, praising its depiction of loss and unresolved grief, the atmosphere, and the lead performances, but noting a slow pace in the second half and weak dialogues. Shampali Moulik of Sangbad Pratidin praised the performances and direction but found the screenplay below par for a horror film and the climax lacking intensity. A critic from Aaro Ananda rated it 3/5 stars, appreciating the direction, cinematography, and chemistry between the leads, while criticizing Chakraborty's average dialogue delivery. Subhadeep Banerjee of The Wall rated it 8/10 stars, commending the performances, storyline, and atmosphere, but noting a lack of Bengali touch and some details that could have been more believable. Shatakshi Ganguly of IWMBuzz rated it 2.5/5 stars, calling it a 'wishy-washy watchable watch' and appreciating the portrayal of grief and the ambiguous climax. The film is notable for marking Satabdi Roy's return to acting after a political hiatus.
Did You Know?
- The film marks Satabdi Roy's return to films after a long hiatus due to her political preoccupation.
- The first look and poster were released on 15 April 2025, on the occasion of Poila Boisakh.
- The film had its premiere at PVR INOX in South City Mall, South Kolkata.
- The word 'pishach' is written on a white sheet found atop disturbing paintings in the film.
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