By all counts, Ritabhari Chakraborty is having quite a year. Whether it’s with women-led films like Batsorik or getting engaged, the actor has built a life that flows seamlessly between entertainment and soulful storytelling. And now, she finds herself on the brink of something truly historic: her latest film Papa Buka will be screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, before heading to the Oscars as Papua New Guinea’s first-ever official submission to the Academy Awards.
How Papa Buka Began
When asked how this unusual and the first Indo–Papua New Guinea collaboration came about, Ritabhari immediately recalls her first meeting with the film’s director, Biju (Bijukumar Damodaran), almost a decade ago. “I met Biju around 2015 or 2016, when my film Onno Apala was in the Indian Panorama section,” she explains. “He had a film called Bird with Large Wings, which I loved, and I told him I’d like to work with him someday.” That conversation led to their first collaboration, Painting Life, an ensemble drama that was shot in the hills of Sikkim. She says, “Biju is a visionary. The way he imagines things — it’s languid but so definitive. Papa Buka is about war, but without showing war. When he narrated it, I remember thinking, ‘How on earth did you even come up with this?’”
The film follows two historians, played by Ritabhari and Prakash Bare, who travel to Papua New Guinea to trace the untold stories of Indian soldiers who fought there during the Second World War under the British flag. “What starts as an academic expedition becomes deeply personal,” Ritabhari shares. “My character, Romila Chatterjee, is also searching for her grandfather’s remains. Along the way, they meet Papa Buka, the guide who takes them through the country and its memories. It’s a story about loss, resilience, and the forgotten contributions of indigenous people during war.”
A Journey Beyond Cinema
Shot entirely in Papua New Guinea, the experience was as transformative for the actor as the story itself. “It was my first time there — and it’s not an easy place to reach!” she laughs. “You fly to Singapore, then Port Moresby, and from there it’s a completely different world. Capitalism has barely touched it. You don’t recognise a single brand on the billboards.”
She describes Papua New Guinea as “the land of a thousand tribes”, with around 800 languages spoken across communities. “From the moment we landed, it was magical,” she says. “The local tribes welcomed us with dances in their traditional costumes and headgear. I have never been welcomed like that anywhere before. They were genuinely happy that their stories would reach the world.”
The film’s titular character, Papa Buka, is inspired by a real person with deep roots in the region’s history. “The man who plays Papa Buka (Sine Boboro) has also lived through it all. He once smuggled a coffee bean in his mouth from Malaysia and went on to plant an entire coffee farm. These are stories you never hear — about people and places untouched by the rush of globalisation. That’s what made the shoot so life-changing for me.”
Looking forward
With Papa Buka now officially selected as Papua New Guinea’s submission to the Academy Awards, Ritabhari admits she’s still processing the news. “Initially, I didn’t know what to do with the information. It took a while to sink in. Only about 70-odd countries send official submissions each year, so to know the Academy will see my work — it’s surreal,” she said with palpable excitement.
Her journey with the film continues in the United States, where Oscar campaign screenings will begin at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. “It’s emotional for me because that’s my university. My professors, my classmates, they’ll be there. It’s one of those full-circle moments you dream about. When I studied there, we used to talk endlessly about the future, and now I get to show them a film I’m so proud of.”
A Homecoming at IFFI
The IFFI stage isn’t new to Ritabhari — she’s been part of the Indian Panorama several times as an actor and producer with Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, Onno Apala and now Papa Buka. “I’ve even represented the East twice during its inauguration, and my short film Monitor was an official selection,” she says.
And as she gets ready to walk the red carpet at IFFI once again, she reflects on how far she’s come since that first meeting with Dr. Biju nearly a decade ago. “Young actors often get impatient,” she says. “They complain that nothing’s happening. But I tell them — if you don’t have patience, this is the wrong profession. It takes time, and when it happens, it feels like life’s come full circle.” Indeed, for Ritabhari Chakraborty, Papa Buka isn’t just a film — it’s the story of an artiste stepping onto a global stage, with grace, grit, and gratitude.