Film review: Projapoti Biskut

Language- Bengali
Cast- Aditya Sengupta (debut), Ishaa Saha (debut), Aparajita Auddy, Shantilal Mukhopadhyay, Sonali Gupta, Rajat Ganguly, Kheya Chattopadhyay and others.
Director- Anindya Chattopadhyay
Release date- 22nd September 2017


What makes the premise of Projapoti Biskut interesting is Anindya’s choice of subject. A love story of two incompatible persons in an arranged marriage is fresh and brave too as it’s hard to evoke interest of audience familiar with love stories ending in marriage. This brought an amount of curiosity about his second film after the successful coming-of-age flick Open Tee Bioscope in January 2015.

It tells the story of Antor, a gawky, plain-looking, reserved young man who is the younger son of a bonedi household of old south Kolkata (Bhowanipore). Shaon, with whom he is married for more than two years is from a humble middle class family from Howrah with not-so-educated parents. The much-needed bonding is missing from their life and at a point of time under influence of family they start thinking that a child will set everything right. How their relationship evolves from this point is what the film is about.

Anindya Chattopadhyay has made a simple film weaving in a generous amount of Bangaliyana that we are sorely missing in today's Bangla cinema. The ‘Kartik phela’ (Dropping an idol of lord Kartik at the door of a home with a couple yet to have a child) is a forgotten practice these days and this film has entwined it with the storyline beautifully. The film explores a relationship without relying on a narrative style. The two families connected by marriage are chalk and cheese and this contrast has been established through various traits and situations. The characters are etched well, so is the crisis of a childless couple and the respective medical treatment. Love doesn't bloom between the introvert and indecisive husband who had had a failed relationship before marriage and the forlorn wife who feels claustrophobic in her new home. Shaon’s character is especially well-written, bringing out the two phases- firstly when she is a loner in Antor’s house, then when she decides to stay in her parents’ house and starts following her heart- equally well. She tells her husband that she was a shajano bou (puppet wife) in his family where she even lost her own name Sraboni and became Shaon at the behest of her mother-in-law who calls the shots in the family as she hadn’t found the former name classy. Antor’s character, I have felt, is straight-jacketed to some extent and his inner space, his longing for love was left rather unexplored. In fact, the unsaid mutual craving for each other hasn't really come through. The gem of a song Tomake bujhina priyo brilliantly sung by Chandrani fell somewhat out of place for this. Anindya has created nice moments of the other interpersonal relationships, like Shaon and her father-in-law indulging in Bengali TV soaps secretly and conversations between Shaon and Antor's niece. The film also has a generous sprinkle of Anindya’s  trademark humour and the one-liners elicit chuckle.

Source: A song from the film on YouTube

All the actors, including those in bit roles, are well cast and that has helped the director tremendously. It was very wise of director-turned-producer Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay to insist on new faces in the lead as because of that we, the audience, found the protagonists so believable. Sonali Gupta was spot on for the role of the elitist, Rabindrasangeet-devoted mother of Antor physically as well as behaviourally. Newcomer Kheya Chattopadhyay is impressive as Shaon’s friend- the free-spirited Parijaat who was her only window of life. Rajatava (Antor’s boss) has been deservingly trusted with some killer comic punches. Aparajita and Shantilal (Shaon’s parents) bring out the nuances of a couple of a lower middle class family from that side of Hooghly. Arghyakamal Mitra, Shibashis Bandopadhyay and Abhijit Guha do justice to their bit roles (The first two were pleasant surprise). The child actor playing Antor’s niece was good too and due credit goes to Anindya as it’s not easy to make children believable on screen.

Debutante Ishaa Saha shines the brightest for bringing out Shaon/Sraboni through flawless expressions in all the shades. She is a revelation in the second half.

Source: A song from the film on YouTube

Aditya Sengupta, who has acting in his genes (from mother's side), excels as the indecisive and introvert Antor in his debut act but his promise is constrained by his characterization. Given the right roles, Ishaa will go far. Aditya aspires to be a director not actor and has studied abroad for it.

Source: A song from the film on YouTube

Music is a strength of this film and all the songs, from the humorous title track to Projapoti mon that plays with the end credits are written, composed (by Shantanu Moitra, Prosen, Anindya and Anupam) and sung well. A special mention must go to Ahare mon (Written, composed and sung by Anupam) which is undoubtedly part of Anupam's best work and of course to Prosen and Ritam Sen (lyricist) for the sublime romantic track Tomake bujhina priyo which is in a league of its own.

Parts of the first half dragged as Rajatava’s comic punches and Antor’s diabetic father's secret trips to the local sweet shop kept coming back. A director needs these fillers more when the story is not progressing. Also Shantilal’s comic track turned a little predictable with time. It’s in the second half when the projapoti gets wings as Shaon and Antor follow their hearts and experiment with life.

To sum up, a simple and unusual love story which is unmistakably Bengali at heart.

#ProjapotiBiskut #BanglaCinema #BengaliCinema

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