In a cinematic landscape increasingly saturated with formulaic storytelling, filmmaker Kankana Chakraborty emerges with a stirring and cerebral narrative in her latest offering, “Re-Reouting ” — a 35-minute psychological thriller that is as intimate as it is intense. A haunting meditation on isolation, vulnerability, and the redemptive power of empathy, Re-Routing intricately maps the emotional terrain of two individuals adrift in their cloistered existences.
Barun Chanda, a veteran of Indian parallel cinema, brings a magnetic presence to Rerouting with his nuanced and restrained performance. Known for his iconic role in Satyajit Ray’s Seemabaddha, Chanda lends gravitas and emotional depth to the film’s complex psychological landscape.
Set throughout a single night, the film explores a seemingly incidental encounter between two souls tethered to their inner turmoil. As time unfolds in this nocturnal tapestry, layers of self-deception, buried trauma, and emotional inertia are peeled away, revealing a rare opportunity — the chance to re-navigate not just the night, but the course of their lives.
The visual language, steeped in chiaroscuro and psychological nuance, is captured with remarkable finesse by cinematographer Mridul Sen. The taut and rhythmic editing by Amitava Dasgupta heightens the film’s emotional tempo, while Joy Sarkar’s evocative score breathes an eerie tenderness into the narrative, amplifying every flicker of transformation.
With an A-list core team and a narrative that defies conventional expectations, Re-routing has garnered well-deserved recognition on prestigious platforms. The film had the honour of opening the 22nd Kalpanirjhar International Short Fiction Film Festival at Max Mueller Bhavan, marking a moment of pride for independent Indian cinema. It was also presented at a Special Screening at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and featured at the Creative Arts Academy, TCA Film Society further affirming its place within the canon of thought-provoking, high-concept short fiction.
Kankana Chakraborty’s vision is not merely to entertain, but to evoke — to gently unmoor the viewer from familiar narratives and anchor them into an introspective voyage. Re-routing is a film that lingers, echoing long after its final frame, reminding us that even in the most suffocating corridors of the human condition, there exists the possibility of change—of—rerouting.
Kankana Chakraborty (Director) says ”’Re-routing’ was born from a quiet question — what happens when two people, each imprisoned in their own emotional labyrinths, collide by chance? For me, this film is not just a psychological thriller; it is a reflection on the possibility of grace in the darkest corners of the human experience. I wanted to explore how a single night, a fleeting encounter, can serve as a catalyst for emotional recalibration — a re-routing of destiny itself”
Barun Chanda, the Lead Actor ”There was something deeply unsettling and compelling about the character I play in ‘Re-routing.’ He is a man of few words, yet carries an entire storm within. As an actor, it was a rare opportunity to inhabit a space where silence speaks louder than dialogue. Kankana’s vision demanded restraint, introspection, and above all, honesty it was a privilege to be part of a narrative that doesn’t scream, but echoes long after it ends”