Symbolism and mental health are real-time heroes in Soumava Banerjee's upcoming Bengali film, Autobi

A woman’s desperate search for her missing sister leads her into a forbidden, cursed forest that preys on past trauma and blurs the terrifying line between reality and hallucination, in this upcoming Bengali psychological thriller, Autobi. Directed by Soumava Banerjee, film sees Madhumita Sarcar, Inaaya Chowdhury, Shahebb Chatterjee, Rahul Arunodoy Banerjee and Aryann Bhowmik in pivotal roles.

The storyline and symbols are the main actors in Soumava Banerjee's Bengali film, Autobi

Auobi opens with a harrowing glimpse into the past, where young sisters Dimple (Madhumita) and Taniya (Inaaya) witness a horrific domestic tragedy involving their parents. This shared trauma forges an unbreakable, albeit suffocating, bond between them. Years later, Dimple has become fiercely protective of Taniya, living by the mantra, "My sister, my responsibility".

The nightmare begins when Dimple receives a call from the police in Jhargram. Taniya, a school teacher, has been missing for days. The investigation leads to a terrifying conclusion: Taniya was last seen entering "Chamsutti," a notorious "No Entry" forest zone known locally as a suicide spot. Local lore suggests the forest is "mayabi" (illusory)—it feeds on weak minds, inducing hallucinations that drive intruders to their deaths.

Refusing to believe her sister is dead, Dimple travels to Jhargram. There, she crosses paths with Shakib (Shahebb), a Bangladeshi journalist writing an article on the mysteries of Chamsutti. Despite warnings from local authorities and the terrifying reputation of the woods, Dimple insists on a rescue mission. She enlists Shakib and a reluctant, superstitious local guide named Shamik (Rahul) to help her breach the forest's perimeter.

As the trio ventures deep into the dense, sunlight-deprived woods, the atmosphere grows heavy with dread. Shamik warns them that logic, compasses, and technology will fail them here, and they must leave before sunset. However, as the darkness creeps in, the group becomes fractured. Dimple, who relies on medication to manage her mental health, discovers her pills are missing.

Deprived of her medication and consumed by fear, Dimple’s grip on reality begins to loosen. The forest comes alive with whispers, phantom shadows, and visions of the past. She begins to suspect Shakib’s motives, believing he knows more about Taniya’s disappearance than he claims.

Isolated in the wilderness, Dimple is forced to confront not only the supernatural malevolence of Chamsutti but also the buried demons of her own childhood. As the search turns into a fight for survival, Dimple must decipher what is real and what is a trick of the mind before the forest claims her soul forever.

Director Soumava says, "Autobi is not merely a story about a missing person; it is a descent into the labyrinth of the human mind, where love can become suffocating and protection can turn into a cage.

At its core, this film explores the haunting legacy of childhood trauma. We begin with a horrific domestic tragedy that binds two sisters, Dimple and Taniya, in an inseparable knot of grief and survival. This shared past births Dimple’s defining mantra: "My sister, my responsibility". However, as a director, I wanted to deconstruct this sentiment to reveal its darker edge—how possessiveness disguised as care can drive a wedge between loved ones, leading to catastrophic consequences.

The setting of the film, the "Chamsutti" forest, is more than just a location; it is a breathing antagonist. It serves as a metaphor for Dimple’s fracturing psyche. Folklore tells us the forest is mayabi (illusory), preying on weak minds and inducing suicide. Visually, I aim to blur the lines between the external horror of the jungle and the internal horror of her mental health and paranoia.

The narrative is structured to challenge the audience's perception of reality. As Dimple ventures deeper into the No Entry zone , deprived of her medication, the film transitions from a procedural investigation into a surreal nightmare.

Ultimately, Autobi is a tragedy about gaslighting and the weaponisation of mental illness. I want the audience to leave the theater questioning the nature of the "ghosts" we fear—are they lurking in the woods, or are they the people we trust the most?

This is a film about the terrifying silence that follows the scream, and the realisation that sometimes, the most dangerous place on earth is inside one's own head.

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