Bengali film festival Abhijaan returns to Dubai

Poster of 89. One of the film showing at Abhijaan in Dubai. Courtesy Abhijaan

Dubai's annual Bengali film festival returns tomorrow on February 5 with seven of the latest thrillers from the Indian state of West Bengal, plus appearances by top stars, including the actors Rituparna Sengupta and Dhritiman Chatterjee, and the filmmakers Srijit Mukherji and Bauddhayan Mukherji.
Titled Abhijaan (Journey), the three-day festival was launched in 2014 as a collaborative effort by five Dubai residents who wanted to make good Bengali cinema accessible in the UAE.
This year, the festival opens with acclaimed director Srijit Mukherji's hit thriller Chotushkone.
Also on the schedule is a panel discussion featuring Rituparna Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Srijit Mukherji, actor-producer Arijit Dutta and actor Saswata Chatterjee (best known for his role as a cold-blooded killer in the Bollywood film Kahaani in 2013).
Bengali cinema is one of India's oldest film industries and its films have been a regular feature at leading international film festivals over the years. Its leading lights have included acclaimed filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Mrinal Sen and Aparna Sen.
Here's a list of the films at the festival
February 5
Chotushkone - Four directors get together to make a film and end up in a deserted villa.
Starring Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghose, Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chatterjee and Chiranjit Chakraborty. Directed by Srijit Mukherji. At 8pm
February 6
Bharaate - A young couple can't help liking their new tenant, until she gets too familiar.
Starring Rituparna Sengupta, Aroonima Ghosh. Directed by Anindiya Ghosh. At 12pm
Teenkahon - Three stories set over a century that explore a single obsessive relationship. (A must-watch: it has already been to 15 film festivals worldwide and has won nine awards).
Starring Dhritiman, Rituparna Sengupta, Sabyasacchi. Directed by Bauddhayan Mukherjee. At 3pm
Byomkesh Phire Elo - Detective Byomkesh Bakshi is hot on the trail of a murderer.
Starring Abir Chatterjee and Saswata. Directed by Anjan Dutt. At 6pm
February 7
89 - A psychiatrist and a serial killer are the main characters in this film about the price of success.
Starring Raima Sen and Saswata Chatterjee. Directed by Manoj Michigan. At 11am
Ek Phaali Rodh - A social scientist creates a mock crisis on the streets as part of an experiment, until everything goes horribly wrong.
Starring Dhritiman Chatterjee, Aparajita Ghosh Das and Ritwick Chakraborty. Directed by Atanu Ghosh. At 2pm
Ebar Shabor - A police detective is tasked with solving the murder of a woman with a sinister past.
Starring Saswata Chatterjee, Abir Chaterjee and Swastika Mukherjee. Directed by Arindam Sil. At 5.30pm
Abhijaan runs from tomorrow until February 7 at the Conference Centre in Knowledge Village.
Tickets are priced at Dh30 for day screenings and Dh35 for evening shows. Visit www.platinumlist.net/tickets and www.itp.net/tickets