Shubho Mahurat

The shoot for Shubho Mahurat begins with a grand, festival like reception that feels like cinema itself. NRI producer Padmini Chowdhury returns to India to invest in the project, and Sambit Roy is chosen to direct. The opening creates a web of personal ties that will complicate the production as the talent and power players arrive.

Padmini insists on casting Kakoli Sengupta, the veteran star, in a key role. The decision cements Kakoli as a central figure and signals a film that leans on strong dramatic performances. The cast assembly hints at power dynamics behind the production.

A local magazine journalist Mallika Sen and freelance photographer Shubhankar Chowdhury document the event along with the crew. Their presence foreshadows the blend of media scrutiny and backstage drama that will drive the narrative. The reception becomes a platform where professional ambitions clash with personal loyalties.

Kakoli collapses during the reception and dies, leaving everyone stunned. The autopsy reveals strychnine poisoning, turning the incident from misfortune into murder. The investigation kicks off with urgent questions about who had opportunity and motive.

Investigator Arindam Chatterjee suspects Kakoli husband due to an extramarital affair. Yet the poison seems to have entered Kakoli at the party itself, complicating the timeline. Mallika recalls that Kakoli drank only a soft drink at the gathering that was actually meant for Padmini.

Pishima counsels Mallika and warns that another murder could be looming over the production. The caution deepens the mystery and reframes the case as part of a larger plot. The sense of danger hangs over the newsroom and the set.

As the investigation progresses, Mallika becomes entangled in growing attractions toward Arindam and toward Shubhankar. Love begins to bloom even as careers and loyalties are tested. The tension underscores how personal bonds influence perception of the crime.

Pishima reveals that Shubhankar is not a total stranger to Padmini; his uncle was her first husband and she once showed him affection as a child. The revelation reframes motives and adds a layer of history to the present conflict. Memory and desire start to drive the characters as much as evidence does.

Kalpana confides in Padmini about her relationship with Sunil Mehra, a married man who refused to fund treatment for Kalpana’s daughter. Padmini is moved and vows to help, sharing a painful memory of her own dead son. The personal pain of the characters intersects with the production finances and moral choices.

Kalpana leaves Sunil’s place after another soft drink and is later found dead. The case expands as prosecutors link the death to the same web of potential poisoning. Sunil is arrested and becomes a central suspect in a broader murder plot.

Pishima arranges to publish an anonymous piece in Mallika’s magazine about infections during pregnancy and their impact on unborn children. A copy lands with Padmini, triggering curiosity and resolve to uncover the truth. Mallika, Padmini, and the editor begin to connect the threads of the past to the present case.

During their final film together, Padmini discovers she is pregnant and Kakoli has a contagious illness that she unknowingly passes to her co actor. Padmini decides to poison Kakoli as a revenge after Kakoli threatens to blackmail, a plan validated by Kalpana’s earlier sighting. The motive becomes clear and the night of production becomes the key to the crime.

Pishima reveals to Padmini that she is a devoted fan and that the story will be kept safe. This revelation ties the killer to a silent audience and hints at how art preserves memory. The bond between reader and creator deepens into a quiet, moral connection.

Padmini returns home and is found dead by suicide. In a final act of loyalty she sends an autograph to Pishima along with a long fan letter and promises to support Kalpana's daughter’s treatment. The ending leaves a stark meditation on art, memory, and moral compromise.

In the closing moments Mallika confronts the ethical knot of loving two people at once. Shubhankar recalls Padmini's own remark and explains that she proved it by losing herself after the birth of her son. The confession seals the film with a meditation on memory, art, and the shadows of the past.