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A legal thriller in Bengali, “Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei” (2025) by Srijit Mukherji is a modern-day adaptation of “12 Angry Men” (1957) and its Hindi remake, “Ek Ruka Hua Faisla” (1986). The title of Mukherji’s rendition is derived from a haunting line in the song “Ei Srabon” by Anupam Roy, which alludes to the deeper psychological divisions between perception and truth that the film examines. With an ensemble cast featuring Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chatterjee, Kaushik Sen, Ritwick Chakraborty, and others, the film stages a riveting drama inside the claustrophobic confines of a High Court Judge’s subconscious, where twelve individuals (or rather mental projections of the Judge) must confront their own biases and prejudices while deciding the fate of a young kid accused of murder.

The subconscious mind transports the characters to various locations deeply personal to Brajeswar: his study room, the golf course he habitually goes to, a theater where...

Ranjan Ghosh is no stranger to wading into uncharted waters. His most recent film — “Ahaa Re” (2019) — spins a daring love story between a Muslim top chef and Hindu home caterer, describing a cross-cultural and cross-class love for food. Ghosh’s tendency to break boundaries is not new, however. In “Colours of Money” (2017), his second feature, Ghosh curates an anthology of four shorts about India’s poor. Released in the midst the demonetization crisis in 2016 (and subsequently attracted attention for it), Ghosh’s earlier work captures a refreshingly intimate outlook of society’s margins.

The shorts are themed, paralleling the different colors of the Indian rupee. In the first story, “Red – Love,” a poor tribal couple seeking a divorce — and surprisingly, remarriage — from a profiteering clerk (Kharaj Mukherjee). Arunima Ghosh stars again in “Blue – Separation,” only this time clad in fine jewelry and luxurious fabrics. After hearing the news of her wealthy,...