The reports from 2011 confirm that Paoli Dam performed the scene with no body double, making it one of the most fearless performances by an A-list Bengali actress to date.
Despite its artistic narrative, the film's international version became famous—and in many circles, infamous—for a five-minute sequence featuring Paoli Dam and co-star . The Nudity Controversy and the "Viral" Leak
The scene's release led to an intense uproar in India, particularly within the conservative Bengali middle class.
. Released in 2011 and directed by Sri Lankan filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara, the film sparked intense controversy in India, particularly in Kolkata, due to the graphic nature of the scenes between Dam and her co-star Anubrata Basu. Context of the Controversy The Scene: paoli dam naked scene in chatrak bengali movie upd verified
However, Chatrak shattered that mold. In a 2012 interview (which we have verified via entertainment archives), Paoli stated:
The 2011 Bengali film Chatrak (released internationally as Mushrooms ), directed by Vimukthi Jayasundara, gained significant notoriety not just for its artistic merit but for a specific explicit scene involving actress Paoli Dam. The film, which was a Sri Lankan-French co-production, was selected for the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. However, in India, the conversation surrounding the film was dominated by the controversy over the "bold" scenes, marking a turning point in the discussion of censorship and sexuality in Bengali cinema.
Even fashion and beauty lifestyle blogs picked up on Paoli’s "no-makeup, undone" look in the scene — messy hair, bare skin, tired eyes — as a rebellion against the airbrushed heroine. It became a subversive beauty trend for a short while among Kolkata’s art college crowd. The reports from 2011 confirm that Paoli Dam
The half-built skyscraper is the film’s second protagonist. The scene uses pillars, open ducts, and raw cement as props. This is the opposite of a Bollywood “glass palace” song. It suggests that even in unfinished, ugly spaces, human desire finds a home.
Her resilience shifted the narrative over time. Instead of allowing the controversy to end her career, Dam used the visibility to transition into Bollywood, landing a breakout role in the 2012 erotic thriller Hate Story , which became a commercial success. The Legacy of Chatrak
The plot follows a French-born NRI architect (played by Paoli Dam) who returns to the fringes of Kolkata’s rapidly developing New Town. Her mission: to find her estranged brother, a laborer living in a half-constructed building. The film uses the metaphor of mushrooms—growing in darkness, without sunlight—to represent the hidden, often uncomfortable realities of urban migration, desire, and alienation. In a 2012 interview (which we have verified
There’s a thin line between vulgarity and sensuality: Paoli Dam
She also confirmed that the film’s director shot the scene with only female crew members present—a fact now UPd-verified through behind-the-scenes stills. This dismantled the “exploitation” narrative completely.
Moral policing groups staged protests outside theaters in South Kolkata. Paoli received threats and was dropped from several mainstream commercial projects. Newspapers labeled her "controversial."
For the modern viewer, revisiting Chatrak is an exercise in patience and maturity. It asks you to look past the skin and see the concrete, the mushrooms, and the quiet desperation of a city in transition.
Here's a brief summary of the movie: