Bengali independent film Chabiwala – The Keysmith recently made waves at the 6th edition of the Sri Lanka International World Film Festival, taking home multiple awards including Best Director, Actor and Actress.

The film was selected across 19 categories, winning trophies in the top honours. The film’s director Raja Ghosh received Best Director (Feature Film). In the performance categories, Subhasish Mukherjee won Best Supporting Actor – Breakthrough, Kaushik Kar received Best Actor – Jury Special, and Amrita Chattopadhyay was awarded Best Actress – Breakthrough Performance for her impactful portrayal.

The film also made its mark in key technical segments, with Nabarun Bose winning Best Background Score – Outstanding. Alongside these, the film received recognition in several other categories, highlighting its overall excellence in storytelling, craft and execution.

Produced independently by Rajkumar Bhunia and Raja Ghosh, Chabiwala – The Keysmith began as a passion-driven project during 2017–18 and has gradually grown to achieve recognition across both national and international platforms.

The film also starred late actor Rahul Arunodoy Banerjee in the supporting role of a character named Bhukharam. Banerjee, 43, passed away on March 29 after allegedly drowning at Talsari beach in Odisha.

The film follows a key-maker searching for lost love in the city, with a leading cast including Koushik Kar, Amrita Chattopadhyay and Subhasish Mukherjee.

Sharing his thoughts, Raja Ghosh described the moment as deeply emotional and fulfilling for the entire team. He noted that the journey of an independent film is often challenging, but the overwhelming appreciation from global audiences has made it truly worthwhile. He also expressed gratitude to the festival authorities, jury members, and everyone who supported the film.

Reacting to her win, Amrita Chattopadhyay shared that receiving the Best Actress award for Chabiwala is a special milestone in her career. She thanked the director for trusting her with a strong character and mentioned that the recognition is the result of the team’s collective dedication and hard work.

She also added that this marks her second Best Actress award for the film, after her earlier win at the Jharkhand International Film Festival, and dedicated the achievement to the entire team.