“I don’t want to acknowledge a lie,” . “For me, it's a non-issue. If he (Shiladitya) had a problem, he should have spoken to me directly. I’m not going to wash my dirty linen in public.”

But even as Sen was at Cannes with Charak, controversy was brewing back home and it wasn’t one he seemed eager to address. The film made headlines not for its content, but for director Shiladitya Moulik’s public allegation that his name was excluded from the film’s Cannes promotional assets, along with a crew member voicing concerns over non-payment.

Sudipto Sen, known for sparking intense debate with films like The Kerala Story and Bastar, is now stepping into a new role as a producer with his debut venture Charak – A Fair of Faith. Backed by his banner, Sipping Tea Cinemas, the film has already garnered attention with a notable presence in Berlin and a private screening for select guests at recently concluded Cannes Film Festival.

Sen clarified that the Cannes invitations and assets went out under his name, and he had no reason to exclude anyone. “The invitations were sent from me. I was inviting people under my name. That’s not exclusion, that’s logistics. Everywhere the film is mentioned, the director’s name is there. So where is the omission?” he asks. “If something is untrue, why should I respond? If I do so, I give it credibility.”

“If someone has a problem, they should come and talk to me. I was and am always available. But, for now my only focus is distribution. The film got a good international response. That’s all that matters.”

Charak is set during the Chaitra Sankranti, the climactic end of the Hindu lunar calendar. At its core, the film draws from the ancient Charak Festival observed in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Assam. The film plunges into a world where ancient rituals blur the line between devotion and brutality. "It is a dangerously spiritual event that echoes with disturbing whispers of human sacrifice," Sen says.

“Officially it’s (human sacrifice) banned,” Sen adds, “but unofficially, the belief hasn’t died," he says flatly. “Last year in Uttar Pradesh, a school child was sacrificed by the management with the guidance of a tantric, hoping to improve the school’s results.” There’s no dramatic pause here, just the blunt horror of reality that drives the narrative core of his film. The filmmaker says Charak is more than a film and for him it is an urgent call to unmask superstition.

“It’s about faith,” he insists, “and how it begins where logic ends.” The film, he says, is dedicated to that dangerous space where belief turns blind, and ritual becomes an excuse for violence. “Faith has no rationality,” he says. “And our society, across class and caste, is still hostage to superstition.” He’s not wrong. From miracle cures to cow urine, the contradictions in India’s modernity are many, and Sen wants to hold up a mirror to all of it. “This film challenges the concept of faith. It challenges illogical beliefs. And it talks about the real Dharma that evolves with time.”

It’s a bold theme to tackle, especially for a debut production under his own banner, Sipping Tea Cinemas “This film is meant to challenge. It’s meant to provoke those who hide behind faith to justify the unjustifiable.”

“I didn’t go to any studio, or producers for money. I funded it myself. Because I wanted to speak without compromise. The truth has to be told, even if it hurts. In fact, I want it to hurt. That’s how I know I’ve said something important.” When asked whether he fears backlash, Sen said, “Backlash means you are on the right path."

“We’re living in a society that wears science like a shirt as and when convenient. Otherwise, we’re still bound by 5,000-year-old dogmas.” It’s the contradictions that fascinate and frustrate him. The same society that gave the world Yoga, astronomy, and algebra is, in parts, still sacrificing children to fix school grades.

As someone who's frequented Cannes since 2007, Sen is no stranger to the "circus that surrounds Cannes.". But even he can’t hide his frustration at what he calls the “fashion weekification” of India’s Cannes presence. “Most of the Indian delegates don’t even watch films here,” he says. “It’s more summer vacation than cinema. Celebrities walking the red carpet becomes national news, but no one asks which films we screened or what stories we told.

“There was one official entry this year, Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound for Un Certain Regard section. That’s it,” he says. “Meanwhile, hundreds of Indians were at Cannes, but mostly as tourists. For many, it’s more about fashion shows and red carpets than films.”

“Indian cinema is being stifled by self-appointed pundits, critics, producers, gatekeepers who favour convenience over conviction. But in places like Cannes or Berlin, your work stands naked. There’s no hiding behind star power or studio hype.”

“You have to immerse yourself in your roots,” He references Kantara, the Kannada blockbuster that steeped in folklore and mysticism, as an example of regional cinema capturing deeper Indian truths. “That film talks about our ethos. But so many of our mainstream films are just noise, wrapped in recycled stories. The audience is waking up. They want more. They want meaning.”

He’s visibly frustrated at India’s “minuscule” cinematic presence at the film festival despite the country’s vast storytelling heritage. “I refuse to be part of an industry that sells dreams but avoids reality. Cinema should be a reflection of society. If my film doesn’t make someone uncomfortable, I haven’t done my job.” So what message does he want to leave international audiences with? “That India is more than Bollywood.

That there is another kind of Indian cinema, one that speaks the truth.” He admits that festivals like Cannes or Berlin offer him breathing space. “In India, you’re constantly being judged. Here, I can just be a filmmaker.” The difference, he notes, is sharp. “At the international festival circuit, your roots matter. You have to show the smell of your soil in your film. If your work isn’t honest, it shows. The screen magnifies every lie.”

While Charak is all set for release, Sen already has a full slate ahead. He’s directing Chandani Bar sequel, and is also involved in projects like Basera and the long-awaited biopic on M.S. Subbulakshmi, Eighth Note. He hints at Basera possibly being helmed by one of his protégés, and The People’s President, a government-backed project, is also in the pipeline.

As our conversation winds down, Sen says, “India lives in many centuries at once. Science and superstition coexist uncomfortably. And if my cinema makes some people uncomfortable, so be it."

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