Rakter Saad

An otherwise tiresome exercise in murder-mystery, itself a rare occurrence in Bengali cinema, this film redeems itself by its occasionally good build up and an intelligent solution to the apparently supernatural deaths. Debashree Roy plays a young orphan brought up by her uncle and aunt in a village town, where her guardians run a hospital/nursing home. The villagers entertain superstitions about witches who suck the blood of young children. Early in the film, an old woman, found crouching over such a child, is badly beaten up and hospitalized. However, while in hospital, she mysteriously dies after falling out of a window. Meanwhile, wherever Debashree goes, dead bodies (of children and adults) are found, with two puncture marks on the throat, and the bodies drained of blood. The girl slowly begins to believe she has become a vampire. Much else is packed in, including the obligatory song-and-dance sequences, investigations into other criminal acts, etc. However, the solution to the main mystery, though the mechanics of the explanation leave much to be desired, is still ingenious and stands out in what is otherwise a Tollywood turkey.