Paoli Dam faced the controversy with remarkable composure. She argued that as an actor, her body is a tool for storytelling. In various interviews, she emphasized:
She viewed the scene as a requirement of the script and the director's vision. PAOLI DAM--S HOT SCENE IN CHATRAK-Mushroom hit
Dam noted that European and world cinema frequently utilize such realism, and she did not see why Indian actors should be restricted by different standards when performing in international productions. Paoli Dam faced the controversy with remarkable composure
Despite the local scandal, Chatrak was screened at the Directors' Fortnight at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, earning Dam international critical acclaim. Impact on Bengali and Indian Cinema Dam noted that European and world cinema frequently
Today, Chatrak is remembered less for its narrative and more for the barrier it broke regarding on-screen intimacy in India. It remains a case study in the tension between artistic freedom and cultural conservative norms, with Paoli Dam standing at the center of a shift toward more "mature" and "fearless" storytelling in Indian independent film.
In India, particularly in West Bengal, the scene was met with significant backlash. Critics and sections of the public questioned the necessity of such graphic content in Bengali cinema, a medium traditionally known for its poetic and restrained approach to romance.
Chatrak is an art-house production that explores themes of displacement and the collision between urban development and the natural world. The story follows a Bengali architect who returns to Kolkata from Dubai to find his brother living in the forest.