Pratim D. Gupta

Pratim D. Gupta (born 11 November 1981) is an Indian journalist, film critic, screenwriter and film director. He started his career as a film critic for The Telegraph and later for Film Companion. His first film as writer-director is Paanch Adhyay, starring Priyanshu Chatterjee and Dia Mirza. His subsequent films Shaheb Bibi Golaam (2016), Maacher Jhol (2017) and Chaalchitro - The Frame Fatale (2024) have received critical acclaim.

Early life Pratim Dasgupta was born in Kolkata in 1981 and studied in South Point School. He has a degree in Mass Communication and Film Studies from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.

Career

While working as a journalist with The Telegraph, Gupta's script Vanish was selected for the prestigious Binger Script Lab at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2009. He got his first break with the romantic drama Paanch Adhyay which is also the first Bengali film for Bollywood actress Dia Mirza. Written and directed by Gupta, the film was shot almost entirely in Calcutta in November and December 2011. The film was selected as the Centrepiece Premiere at New York's South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) and picked as the New Voice in Indian Cinema at the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI).

In 2013, Gupta collaborated with 10 other filmmakers to be part of the collaborative project X: Past Is Present. The film premiered in New York in 2014 and released in Indian theatres in November 2015. Gupta's second feature film was, Shaheb Bibi Golaam. released in 2016. It was the first mainstream Bangla film to be picked up by Netflix, going on to win 6 Filmfare Awards, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor & Best Screenplay for Pratim.

In 2013, Pratim's screenplay Ink was selected for the prestigious Sundance Lab (India edition), where Pratim developed his script with Oscar winners like Asif Kapadia and Joshua Marston. Pratim later adapted the script into his 2019 Bengali film Shantilal O Projapoti Rohoshyo.

Maacher Jhol starring Ritwick Chakraborty as a Paris-based masterchef who returns to his roots in Kolkata was Pratim's third feature film. It was an official selection in the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2018 in Goa. It was later picked up by Netflix as well and this time won Pratim the Best Dialogue Filmfare Award.

Early in 2018, Pratim wrote and directed the Hindi telefilm Mirchi Malini as part of Sujoy Ghosh's Teen Paheliyan series for Star Plus and Hotstar.

Ahare Mon, Pratim's fourth Bengali film starring Adil Hussain and Paoli Dam among others, has played at festivals in India and abroad and was picked as one of the best Indian films of the year by noted film critic Meenakshi Shedde in Sunday Mid Day.

Pratim was featured in the Men of the Year list of 2018 by Man’s World magazine.

Filmography Year Film Director Writer Notes 2012 Paanch Adhyay South Asian International Film Festival, New York – Centrepiece PremiereMumbai International Film Festival, MAMI – New Voice in Indian Cinema 2015 X: Past Is Present South Asian International Film Festival, New York – Opening FilmInternational Film Festival of Kerala – India Premiere 2016 Shaheb Bibi Golaam New York Indian Film Festival – International Premiere 2017 Maacher Jhol International Film Festival of India – Panorama SectionSouth Asian International Film Festival, New York – Best Film Runner-Up 2018 Ahare Mon South Asian International Film Festival, New York – Official SelectionHyderabad Bengali Film Festival – Official SelectionSingapore South Asian International Film Festival – Official SelectionIndian Film Festival of Melbourne – Beyond Bollywood SectionAuroville Film Festival – Official Selection 2019 Shantilal O Projapoti Rohoshyo South Asian International Film Festival, New York – Official SelectionBrahmaputra Valley Film Festival – Opening FilmAsian Film Festival, Los Angeles – Official Selection 2020 Love Aaj Kal Porshu Selected for New York Indian Film Festival, which got cancelled because of COVID-19 2024 Chaalchitro - The Frame Fatale 2025 Ranna Baati

Web series Year Web series Director Writer Platform Notes 2023 Tooth Pari: When Love Bites Netflix Directorial debut in web series 2025 Karma Korma Hoichoi Directorial debut in a Bengali web series

Accolades