Three reasons to watch Antarleen

Antarleen, the Bengali film, is releasing on 25^th November. Here are the reasons for me to look forward to the film.

1. A psychological thriller-cum-murder mystery set in a scenic hill town- Yes, thrillers are the flavour of the times but what makes it stand out is its setting. The story is set in a quiet small town called Kasauli- far from the crowded, so-called tourist gateaways and engulfed by the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh. The film unfolds by meandering through the maze of human minds and the natural environment perfectly compliments the drama and suspense; twists and turns of the story. The foggy mornings, the peek-a-boo between the sun and the cloud, the sudden drizzles, the dark and quiet nights and the murkiness created by the layers of mist help set up the moods for various situations. The captivating and virgin beauty of Kasauli will be an added attraction. No Bengali film has ever been shot here. In other languages, the only major film shot here that I’m aware of is 1942: A Love Story.

2. Mamata Shankar- This fine actress hardly works in films these days as the industry can’t offer roles that excite her enough (Jatiswar and Pink are exceptions). Her last work etched on my mind is Rituparno’s Abohoman. She plays a pivotal role in the film and as per writer-director of the film Arindam Bhattacharya, her character is unlike what she has ever played before. It has many shades and the audience will be kept guessing about her.

3. Kharaj Mukherjee and Sampurna- Despite proven talent, Kharaj Mukherjee is not thought of beyond a comic character. He is always overlooked for substantial, serious roles and left perennially underrated. Finally, Antarleen attempts to change the game for him. One thing is for sure, you have not only not seen him portraying such a character, but also never have imagined him as anyone like that. His performance is claimed to be able to make the audience sit up and take notice. He is well-known as a good singer and he has sung a Rabindrasangeet in this film (Tumi rabe nirobe picturised on himself).

 

Sampurna Lahiri, too, has been selected to play a very different character and, again, unlike what she has played so far. She plays a fearless officer of the Narcotics department who is visiting the hill town to leave her work-related stress behind. She has done chase and action scenes (A first for a Bengali actress in a long time) in the film. While casting for the role, the director had the reference of an A-list Mumbai heroine, but finding someone having even distant resemblance of her looks within budget was proving to be difficult. Finally Sampurna was selected.                                    

Sampurna in the film

#AntarleenTheFilm #BanglaCinema #MamataShankar #KharajMukherjee

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