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Pokkhirajer Dim
2025 Indian Bengali-language science fantasy film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pokkhirajer Dim (Bengali: পক্ষীরাজের ডিম, lit. 'The Celestial Egg') is a 2025 Indian Bengali-language science fantasy film directed by Soukarya Ghosal and produced by Jio Studios and SVF Entertainment. Serving as a thematic sequel to Ghosal's 2018 film Rainbow Jelly, it stars Anirban Bhattacharya as Batabyal, an eccentric mathematics teacher, alongside Mahabrata Basu as Ghoton, a struggling student determined to master mathematics, and Anumegha Banerjee reprising her role as Poppins. International actor Alexx O'Nell portrays the antagonist, British archaeologist Dr. Alistair Reed. Set in the fictional village of Akashgunj, the narrative blends Bengali folklore with science fiction elements, centering on a supernatural relic that alters reality. Principal photography occurred from September 2023 to late 2024 in West Bengal. The film was theatrically released on 13 June 2025.[1][2]
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Plot
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Five years after the events of Rainbow Jelly, Ghoton struggles academically at Akashgunj High School in rural Bengal, particularly in mathematics. Determined to improve his skills, he seeks coaching from Batabyal, an eccentric mathematics teacher who initially dismisses him due to Ghoton's poor performance. To gain Batabyal's mentorship, Ghoton offers him a mythical stone—"Pokkhirajer Dim" (The Celestial Egg)—discovered in an abandoned temple, which local legend claims was forged by cosmic forces and possesses reality-altering powers. Batabyal, an amateur scientist aspiring to win a Nobel Prize, recognizes the relic's scientific potential and agrees to tutor Ghoton in exchange for access to the artifact.[3]
Ghoton's childhood friend Poppins returns from Kolkata and joins their experiments. As they test the relic's abilities—including manipulating mathematical probabilities and bending physical laws—they inadvertently awaken malevolent forces and distort reality in Akashgunj. Their actions attract Dr. Alistair Reed, a British archaeologist who seeks to claim the relic for colonial-era collections. Reed deploys sophisticated technology and local mercenaries to pursue the trio through hidden temple labyrinths, dreamscapes, and quantum rifts. Ghoton must overcome his mathematical anxieties to decode the relic's geometric patterns while protecting it from Reed, reconciling scientific curiosity with indigenous cosmologies, and confronting his village's historical traumas.[4]
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Cast
- Anirban Bhattacharya as Batabyal: Described by the actor as "a mad scientist in a chalk-stained shirt" whose eccentricity masks emotional depth[5]
- Mahabrata Basu as Ghoton: A struggling student determined to master mathematics
- Anumegha Banerjee as Poppins: Ghoton's friend who returns from Kolkata to join the adventure
- Alexx O'Nell as Dr. Alistair Reed: A British archaeologist pursuing the relic[6]
- Shyamal Chakraborty as Batabyal's assistant
- Subrata Sengupta as Head Sir Gunadhar Bagchi
- Debesh Roy Chowdhury
- Shubhashish Gangopadhyay and Anujoy Chattopadhyay as members of Blind Opera Theatre (cameo)
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Production
Development
Director Soukarya Ghosal described the film as "a whimsical ode to Bengali fantasy traditions" that consciously pays tribute to Satyajit Ray's scientific curiosity.[7] In interviews, he revealed the production involved extensive research into both quantum physics and Bengali folklore to create the relic's reality-warping mechanics.[8] In an interview with The New Indian Express, Ghosal elaborated on the challenges of visualizing quantum phenomena for a mass audience.[9] Development began with the project announcement on 8 September 2023, followed by the poster release on 16 May 2025.[10]
Filming
Principal photography commenced on 9 September 2023 after a muhurat ceremony at SVF's Kolkata office. Key locations included Shimultala and villages in Bankura to capture Akashgunj's mystical landscape, with additional sequences shot in Kolkata. The production employed virtual production stages for dreamscape and quantum rift sequences, completing 85 scheduled days by late 2024.[1]
Themes
Ghosal framed the narrative as exploring "childhood wonder through mathematical curiosity",[2] using the relic as a metaphor for knowledge acquisition. The film examines colonial extraction vs indigenous knowledge, embodied by Dr Reed’s attempts to appropriate the relic as historical resource exploitation;[1] academic struggle as heroism, shown in Ghoton’s mathematical journey paralleling his coming‑of‑age arc;[3] and scientific ethics, raised by Batabyal’s experiments questioning responsible innovation.[2] Scholars also note parallels with Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay's Patalghar in blending rural folklore with speculative fiction.[2]
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Release
Pokkhirajer Dim was released theatrically on 13 June 2025. The marketing campaign emphasized mathematical wonder with the tagline "Equations Can Change Reality", while the trailer released on 30 May 2025 garnered 2.5 million views within 72 hours.[11] A special screening attended by industry figures including Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Jaya Ahsan, and Srijit Mukherji was held on 11 June 2025.[12]
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Reception
Pokkhirajer Dim received widespread critical acclaim upon release. Critics widely noted Ghosal's thematic tribute to Satyajit Ray through the integration of mathematics and folklore.[13]
Arkapravo Das of The Times of India awarded the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising its "visually stunning and intellectually stimulating journey" and Anirban Bhattacharya's "career-best performance", while noting its "groundbreaking visual effects for Bengali cinema".[14] Shomini Sen of Anandabazar Patrika described it "a love letter to Bengali fantasy traditions" and highlighting Bhattacharya's "comedic genius and emotional depth".[15]
In The Telegraph, Saibal Chatterjee noted the film "successfully blends Ray's scientific curiosity with contemporary visual effects." He said "Ghosal may not have made a film as tight or inventive as Rainbow Jelly, but Pokkhirajer Dim still casts a gentle spell, despite minor pacing issues."[7]
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See also
References
External links
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