Arifin Shuvoo’s ‘NeelChokro’ appears on YouTube as ‘Chakravyuh’, director unaware

Arifin Shuvoo and Mondera Chakroborty starrer film “NeelChokro” was originally released during Eid. The film has resurfaced on YouTube under a different title, sparking concerns over piracy and unauthorised distribution.

While browsing YouTube for new Bengali films, viewers recently came across the title “Chakravyuh”, with the thumbnail of “NeelChokro”. The film was uploaded on February 6, with over 40k views, prompting curiosity about when the actors had worked on a project with that name. 

The 1-hour-51-minute-long film has undergone several changes for its YouTube release. Beyond the title, the language has been altered, with dialogue adapted into a Kolkata-style dialect despite the story being rooted in a Bangladeshi context. Certain scenes have been edited, and the film has also been re-colour graded, giving it the appearance of a newly released version tailored for online viewing.

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Speculation initially arose over whether the film’s digital rights had been sold. However, director Mithu Khan denied any such agreement. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said he was unaware of the film’s release on YouTube and had not authorised the sale of its copyright to any channel. After requesting and reviewing the link, he expressed shock, stating that the film had been uploaded without his or the producers’ knowledge.

According to the director, no official digital copy of the film was meant to be in circulation. He noted, however, that post-production work had been carried out in Kolkata, where a copy was shared for technical purposes. Mithu Khan suspects that someone involved in that process may have leaked the film online. He added that the unauthorised upload has caused financial losses, particularly as the film was released on the country’s iScreen platform only a few days ago. The production team is currently attempting to identify those responsible and have the film taken down.

“NeelChokro” centres on a disturbing premise, the sudden online leak of private videos involving 16 young women. The fallout is devastating, with five of them taking their own lives. The narrative follows the investigation into an organised ring deliberately spreading the videos.

 The film also features Fazlur Rahman Babu, Shirin Alam, Khaleda Akhtar Kolpona, Shahed Ali, Tiger Robi, Monir Ahmed Shakil, Priyontee Urbee among others. The film also marks the big-screen acting debut of popular singer Balam.