The teaser of Raas is out
Rass
directed by
Tathagata Mukherjee
featuring
Vikram Chatterjee
and Devlina Kumar in the lead roles will narrate the importance of the closely knitted emotions that prevails in a joint family, the charm of the evergreen
Bengali culture
where every soul feels vibrant and livelier. The audience will witness the story of a 30 year old young engineer, Somnath who is about to take his wedding vows with his beloved, Sanjh and will depart from his country for a more established and dignified life. The movie starts with the celebration of Raas Purnima, on the occasion when Somnath is about to return to his native home, Manikpur after 18 years. After the unfortunate demise of Somnath's mother, Somnath and his father will again visit their ancestral house. With the passage of time, transition has hit the lanes, houses, the lifestyle of the old and younger generation of Manikpur but the essence of affection, benevolence, bondings and the familiar ties have remained within the residents.
The film takes an interesting turn when Somnath pays a visit to his grandparents' home and encounters the colorful rituals and attachments he has left behind. A conflict of love, inclination towards one's roots and the bygone childhood relationships, especially with his childhood ally Rai, all these lost essence and values eventually starts blooming in Somnath's heart.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Telangana's surrogacy scam: The business of selling babies
The Secunderabad railway station in Telangana is a noisy transit hub. Thousands of people enter and exit the concourse every day. Ad jingles in Hindi, Telugu, English, and Bengali, about the various medical procedures offered by hospitals across the city, blare over the din. Billboards outside the station feature smiling couples with babies. The city, along with Hyderabad, is a significant hub for medical tourism in India. In August 2024, after having done some research, Sonam Singh and her husband Akshay travelled to Secunderabad from Kuharwas village near Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan for an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure. They rented a house near the railway station and began searching on the Internet for hospitals nearby. Near the railway station, they found the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, which promised them an 85% success rate for an IVF procedure. The hopeful couple met the owner, Pachipala Namratha aka Athaluri Namratha, 64. 'The test results showed that we were medically fit to conceive,' says Sonam, speaking over the phone from Kuharwas. 'But the doctor insisted that we opt for surrogacy. She told us that it was safer and more reliable. She also assured us that the clinic would use our sperm and egg, and also handle all the paperwork and legalities.' While an IVF procedure can cost anywhere between ₹2 lakh and ₹6 lakh per cycle, Namratha told the couple that surrogacy would cost them ₹30 lakh. She asked Sonam and Akshay to transfer half the amount through their bank account and pay the remaining in cash, supposedly for the surrogate. Convinced, the couple made their first payment on August 16, 2024. According to the First Information Report filed by Akshay, Namratha also promised the couple that 'a healthy child [would be] delivered... after DNA confirmation.' Nearly a year later, on June 5, Sonam and Akshay were handed a baby at Lotus Hospital in Visakhapatnam. However, the couple grew suspicious when Namratha's clinic refused to perform the DNA test. They took the infant to the DNA Forensics Laboratory in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. To their shock, the results showed that the baby was not theirs. When they returned to Secunderabad to confront Namratha, she had disappeared. Sonam and Akshay approached the Gopalpuram police in Secunderabad, which investigated the matter and uncovered a baby-selling racket. The police booked Namratha under Sections 61, 316, 335, 336, and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, 2023, which deal with criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by carriers, forgery of documents, and related offences. They also booked her under Sections 38, 39, and 40 of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, which deal with prohibitions, punishments, and penalties related to surrogacy practices. Sourcing surrogates According to the Gopalapuram police, Universal Srushti Fertility Centre has cheated at least 15 couples. Promising these couples a baby through surrogacy, it has charged them between ₹20 lakh and ₹30 lakh each, and handed them babies not related to them. It has also furnished falsified documents, say the police. An investigation has revealed that the clinic paid commissions to smaller centres for referrals of potential surrogate mothers and women who wanted to undergo abortions, forged medical reports, and operated without proper licensing. According to the police, an agent called Dhanasri Santoshi struck a deal between a couple from Assam and the clinic. They say the Assamese couple's baby was given to the couple from Rajasthan. The police have arrested the couple from Assam on charges of selling their baby. 'Instead of getting ₹15 lakh, the couple from Assam got ₹90,000 for selling their baby,' says a police officer. The baby has been moved to foster care at Shishu Vihar, a childcare centre under the Women and Child Welfare Department. The police add that they have discovered a disturbing pattern in how surrogates are sourced. The sealed medical facility in Secunderabad is surrounded by lodges and bed-and-breakfast rooms. These lodging facilities were used to house women. A police officer says, 'The agents would approach vulnerable women, particularly those seeking abortions, and offer them money to continue their pregnancy so that they could take the baby later. These newborns would then be passed off as children conceived through surrogacy. This is how people were misled into believing that the babies were biologically theirs.' In at least four known cases in Telangana, women were not paid at all and completely abandoned post-delivery, the officer adds. On November 26, 2024, a woman engaged as a surrogate by a couple died after falling from the ninth floor of a building in Raidurgam in the western part of Hyderabad. According to the police, the victim and her husband, both natives of Odisha, were given accommodation by Rajesh Babu and his wife at their residence. When Rajesh allegedly tried to sexually assault the 26-year-old woman, she tried to escape through the balcony and slipped and died. She was purportedly brought to the city through middlemen for surrogacy for ₹10 lakh, say police reports. Donors in queue As the police widened their probe, they raided a facility operating under the name, Indian Sperm Tech, near Secunderabad East Metro Station, located about 400 metres away from the fertility clinic. They found 17 sperm donors and 11 egg donors waiting in queue at the facility. 'The women donors were brought from Delhi, and the men from Andhra Pradesh and other parts of Telangana. The sperm donors, mostly aged between 22 and 30, were paid ₹1,000-₹1,500 per sample. The men were in need of quick cash,' says a police officer who led the raid. L. Shiva was among the people arrested by the police in the midnight raid. Shiva, 35, from Vizianagaram, brought egg and sperm donors and connected them to the hospital. Another broker who was arrested hails from Indore in Madhya Pradesh. One of the egg donors caught in the raid was a 30-year-old resident from Baksa, Assam. Indian Sperm Tech, reportedly headquartered in Ahmedabad, had allegedly set up the sperm collection unit in Secunderabad without a valid license. 'It is a diagnostic centre,' says an officer from the District Medical and Health Officer's office. 'They collect sperm samples, freeze them, and send them to Ahmedabad. The processed samples (isolated and concentrated to select the healthiest sperm) are then returned with reports and sold to clinics across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The place has been operating for two years without registration.' In trouble before It is a typically busy weekday afternoon on St. Johns Road in Secunderabad. But just a short turn away from this arterial road, the noise fades. A narrow bylane, about 20 feet wide, is almost hidden in plain sight. Two old gates, one swung wide open and the other barely ajar, lead into it. Two policemen sit here, silent witnesses to what the North Zone police uncovered. The building of Namratha's clinic has been sealed and the clinic shut down, following an investigation that exposed the baby-selling racket running under the guise of fertility treatments. 'The hospital operated only on the first two floors. The rest were empty,' says one constable. The two floors were filled with equipment required for childcare and fertility treatment. Rajesh Ravi lived here for 16 years before moving closer to the city centre. He is shocked by the revelations. 'You live somewhere for over a decade and you think you know your neighbourhood. I found nothing suspicious. The only time we were mildly inconvenienced was when too many patients came and there would be many cars on the street,' he says. Rajesh says there was a police case involving the same place about 10 years ago. 'No one talked about it much because back then, news on social media did not reach us as fast as it does now,' he says. 'We knew what was happening here,' says Manu, a lawyer who lives across the street of the four-storied Rushi Test Tube Bab Cent. While the name in English has missing letters, the name in Telugu etched beneath it reveals the complete name — Srusthi Test Tube Baby Centre. 'This place was sealed five times earlier. But eventually things got back to 'normal'. This time I think it is serious and she (Namratha) will not be allowed to carry on the business.' The Telangana Medical Council says Namratha was involved in a surrogacy scandal in 2016. A U.S.-based couple, who had used the clinic's services, had discovered that the child born to them through a surrogate was not biologically related to them. 'Following a police case and court hearings, we suspended the doctor's license for five years, with a lifetime ban on conducting surrogacy procedures,' says Dr. G Srinivas, Vice-Chairman of the Council. Yet, when the suspension period ended, the doctor returned, seeking to have her license reinstated. 'We refused. She was still involved in a court case, and our rules are clear on that,' Dr. Srinivas adds. A stringent law As surrogacy has become an increasingly popular option for couples grappling with infertility, Indian law has become more stringent to ensure that the practice remains ethical and free from commercial exploitation. What once operated in legal grey zones is now bound by clear rules, thanks to the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021. Under the Act, only altruistic surrogacy is permitted in India. This means a surrogate mother cannot be paid for carrying a child, except for her medical expenses and insurance coverage. Commercial surrogacy, any arrangement involving monetary compensation or profit, is banned and is a punishable offence. According to the Act, all surrogacy procedures must take place at clinics registered under the Act and authorised by the office officially designated as the State Appropriate Authority. . These clinics must comply with strict medical standards and ethical norms. Any attempt to bypass the law, whether through brokers, unregistered clinics, or financial inducements, is considered a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines reaching ₹10 lakh. Fertility specialists say the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Regulation Act, 2021, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, have brought much-needed order to what was once a loosely regulated and, at times, opaque system. Dr. Preethi Dayal, who runs the Preethi Fertility Centre in Jangaon district, says prior to the enforcement of the ART law in January 2023, 'many centres operated without oversight. You could bring in any random donor, collect the sample, and proceed with checks or documentation. But we are now bound by very strict protocols. Every donor must be sourced only through a registered ART bank, which keeps Aadhaar-linked records of every sample, though the identity is never disclosed to either doctors or patients.' She adds that the new law mandates comprehensive screening of all donors, including genetic testing, and imposes tight eligibility criteria based on age and health. 'There is no room for ambiguity now. Everything has to be documented and traceable.' Dr. Preethi also points out that, legally and ethically, all third-party donor procedures must be conducted with confidentiality. 'Patients are never informed about the identity of the donor. The child born through surrogacy belongs legally and emotionally to the intended parents. That is the framework we follow,' Dr. Preethi says. To reduce the risk of human error, the doctor says many IVF clinics have now adopted the RI Witness system, a high-tech safety protocol that tracks every sample using barcode verification. 'Every patient is given a barcode-linked card. Before processing a sample, we scan the card in the system. If there is any mismatch, the entire hospital is alerted,' she says. While many corporate hospitals have already adopted this system, Dr. Preethi says smaller or less-regulated clinics may not yet have the infrastructure or the will to comply. 'Some centres are still conducting 10 to 15 IVF cycles a day. Without safeguards like the RI Witness system, the chances of mix-ups increase,' she says. Additional reporting by Naveen Kumar Names have been changed to protect privacy
News18
9 hours ago
- News18
National award will motivate other young directors: Deep Fridge director
Kolkata, Aug 1 (PTI) Arjunn Dutta, whose 'Deep Fridge' won the National Award for Bengali feature film, said the honour will inspire and motivate new independent thinking directors like him to make their kind of cinema. He also described it as a proud moment for Bengali cinema. Deep Fridge, directed by Dutta, won the National Award for Best Bengali Feature Film in the 71st National Awards announced on Friday evening. 'Deep Fridge, which had been screened in IFFI has been very special to us. I am so happy for the honour. It will motivate young independent filmmakers like me to make my kind of cinema," Dutta told PTI. He said the film was also special to him as it was made when his mother fell ill and died. view comments First Published: August 01, 2025, 22:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
11 hours ago
- News18
Abir Chatterjee On National Award Win For Deep Fridge: 'I Almost Didn't Do It…'
Last Updated: Abir Chatterjee is thrilled as Deep Fridge, starring him and Tnusree C and directed by Arjun Dutta, won Best Bengali Film at the 71st National Film Awards. Bengali superstar Abir Chatterjee is elated as Arjun Dutta's Deep Fridge which stars him and actress Tnusree C, has won the Best Bengali Film at the 71st National Film Awards, which were announced today. Speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, the actor shared his excitement and looked back at how he almost didn't end up doing the film. 'I had initially said no to the film," Abir revealed. 'There were some date issues and things weren't aligning. But Arjun [Dutta] was persistent — he kept at it, and I eventually gave in. I am glad I did. We shot the film in 2023." The actor also said that it was an intense project to take on, especially because the film is largely hinged on just two characters. 'That automatically means the load is a lot more on the actors to hold the audience's attention and carry the film emotionally," he said. He added that this made the process more demanding but also creatively rewarding. 'I'm genuinely happy that the film has struck a chord with the critics. It means a lot when such stories get recognised at the national level." Opening up about how creatively involved he was throughout the shoot, Abir said, 'It became a very collaborative process. I would return from the shoot and discuss the next day's scenes with Arjun. I even gave my inputs — it was creatively very fulfilling. I hope he gets the recognition he deserves." However, Deep Fridge, despite the national recognition, has not yet released. Speaking about this, Abir admitted, 'It's unfortunate, but there are multiple factors. Those backing the film weren't sure if the Bengali audience was ready for a film like this. But hopefully, that will change now. When a film wins such a prestigious award, it definitely piques audience interest." This isn't the first time Abir Chatterjee's film has won at the National Film Awards. In the 2017 film Bishorjon, directed by Kaushik Ganguly, a moving cross-border love story, Abir played Naseer, an Indian Muslim man stranded on the Bangladeshi side of the Ichhamati River, who was cared for by a Hindu widowed woman, played by Jaya Ahsan. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali at the 64th National Film Awards in 2017. Looking ahead, Abir, well-known for playing iconic detective characters like Byomkesh Bakshi and Feluda, will be seen in Raktabeej 2, directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee of Praktan and Belashuru fame. His next, Suman Mukhopadhyay's The Puppet's Tale (Putulnacher Itikatha), premiered in International Film Festival Rotterdam's Big Screen Competition in February. First Published: August 01, 2025, 20:40 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
