Chitrakut is a film written and directed by Himanshu Malik, of Tum Bin and Khwahish fame. It is the story of five individuals who discover the idea of love while grappling with their internal scars and traumas. The film was released in cinemas last year and has got a new lease of life after it premiered on Jio Cinema on May 27 for free. The treatment of the film gives a déjà vu of Dhobi Ghat, although the plot and thought of the director is quite different. Though the film has some violent aspects, it doesn’t really get dark or gory, as is the norm nowadays. The treatment is very realistic and it is complimented by Hardeep Sachdev's cinematography and Somesh Saha's music. However, though the film is just 125 minutes long, the narrative tends to drag and slow down in places. Due to its niche treatment, it also takes a while to get used to the storytelling. The performances however are exemplary by Auritra Ghosh (Saloni; also credited as one of the choreographers), Vibhore Mayank (Debu), Kiran Srinivas (Shaan), Naina Trivedi (Alisha) and Shruti Bapna (Kim). Akash Dhar (Ashwin) also does fine in a small role. All in all, Chitrakut is worth a dekko.

My rating - *** out of 5!