While the film enjoyed a warm reception on the global festival circuit, its journey in India was turbulent. A leaked excerpt of the explicit sequence was uploaded to video-sharing platforms, quickly circulating under sensationalized titles. The public reaction exposed deep-seated cultural anxieties:
When the film was released, the censor board slapped it with an ‘A’ certificate (Adults Only). But that did not stop the heat. It became the most torrented Bengali film of the year. The phrase “Paoli Dam hot scene” became one of the top Google searches in West Bengal and Bangladesh for months.
Due to strict local regulations, the version slated for the Kolkata Film Festival had to be re-edited to remove the explicit scene entirely. PAOLI DAM--S HOT SCENE IN CHATRAK-Mushroom hit
: Unlike standard Bollywood or Tollywood productions that rely on clever camera angles, body doubles, or simulated movements, the director chose to shoot an authentic, unsimulated sequence to capture genuine vulnerability.
Caught directly in the crossfire was Paoli Dam herself, a post-graduate in Chemistry who had entered films with the acclaimed director Gautam Ghose's "Kaalbela". In the wake of "Chatrak," she became a household name, but for reasons that were both a boon and a burden. While the film enjoyed a warm reception on
Faced with immediate social backlash and aggressive media scrutiny in India, Paoli Dam refused to back down or apologize for the role. Instead, she chose to confront the phallo-centric and often hypocritical double standards of the entertainment industry. 'Yes, I was completely nude' - Telegraph India
In recent years, the Paoli Dam has gained significant attention on social media platforms, with many influencers and celebrities sharing their experiences and photos from the dam. This has helped to promote the dam as a tourist destination and has contributed to the growth of the local tourism industry. But that did not stop the heat
According to Paoli Dam, she was the first mainstream Indian actress to be shown in a fully unsimulated oral sex scene.
In Chatrak , Paoli Dam portrays a woman living far from her family in Kolkata, dealing with isolation and shifting relationships. The sequence that shocked audiences involves an unsimulated act of intimacy between her and co-star Anubrata Basu.
