A take on 'Kia and Cosmos'

Language: English
Director: Sudipto Roy
Cast: Ritwika Pal, Swastika Mukherjee, Joy Sengupta, Sraman Chatterjee, Zahid Hussain, Mita Chatterjee
Length: 2 hours 6 minutes
Release date: 29th March 2019

Kia and Cosmos is a heart-warming story of a specially abled child's (Kia) quest to find out who killed her cat Cosmos who was pregnant and in the bargain, taking a leap in becoming independent. The story is from Kia's point of view, which makes for an interesting watch, and it's brilliantly crafted by director Sudipto Roy. Aditya Varma's cinematography helps create Kia's world with finesse and elevates the film. Ritwika is astonishingly good as she brings Kia to life. Kudos to the immense potential of this young debutante! Swastika is brilliant as Kia's mother- the vulnerable and loving Dia. Joy Sengupta is very good as her musician father Kabir and so are Sraman Chatterjee and Zahid Hussain (Kia's teacher). Neel Adhikari's music and minimal background score take the storytelling forward. I just thought there was a problem with pacing in places and it could be tighter. Overall, a memorable cinematic experience which explains why this film was an official selection in film festivals in Glasgow, Milan, Barcelona and Madrid.


#KiaAndCosmos #SwastikaMukherjee


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A take on ‘Mahalaya'

Language: Bengali

Director: Soumik Sen

Cast: Jisshu Sengupta, Subhashis Mukherjee, Prosenjit, Saptarshi Roy, Subhomoy Chatterjee

Length: 1 hour 48 minutes

Release date: 1st February 2019

Mahalaya takes us back to the historical incident etched in Bengali’s cultural history when an iconic radio programme on the day of Mahalaya famous for the chants of Birendra Krishna Bhadra was audaciously replaced by Akashvani with another program with the biggest ever filmstar Uttam Kumar as the star attraction.

Mahalaya had an interesting premise but the execution left a lot to be desired. The first few minutes involving a senior and powerful All India Radio official who catalyses the change of the iconic Mahalaya programme set the tone and texture of the film which rules out finesse. Prosenjit who plays the official Shashi Sinha delivers an exceptionally weak performance thanks to an unconvincing diction of Hindi and over-the-top portrayal full of familiar mannerisms. The same loudness is noticed in a key character Banerjee (Kanchan) and partly in Kolkata station director Stevenson (Jayant Kripalni).

In terms of direction, the narrative ends up as more documentative and less drama as it talks too much through dialogue and shows too less going against a hallmark of good cinema. Apart from some melodramatic bits, what mars the watching experience is unnecessary or careless intrusions of celebrities like Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey and even Rabindranath Tagore who is shown in a scene. I seriously wonder, couldn't the makers find out an artist who
would at least sound like Kishore Kumar?

Thankfully, Subhashish shows his class bringing to life Birendra Krishna Bhadra in a nuanced and understated performance and Jisshu does a somewhat decent job as Uttam Kumar (though more care should have been taken by the director to bring alive the biggest star in Bengali cinema).  Subhomoy Chatterjee as Pankaj Kumar Mullick is a laudable act and Saptarshi Roy as Hemanta Mukherjee is good too. One however wonders if the director has taken a little too much of creative liberty in developing the character of Hemanta making him overconfident and setting a wrong precedence of a guru-shishya relationship (with Pankaj in this context).

#Mahalaya #BanglaCinema #BanglaCinema2019 #BengaliCinema #UttamKumar

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Film review: Rosogolla

Language: Bengali

Director: Pavel
Cast: Ujaan Ganguly, Abantika Biswas, Bidipta Chakaraborty, Rajatava Dutta, Kharaj Mukherjee, Aparajita Adhya, Chiranjeet, Shantilal Mukherjee, Kaushik Sen

Length: 2 hours 18 minutes

Release date: 21st December 2018

“Je somoy niye bhabena, taake niye toh bhabtei hoy" ( If someone is oblivious of the time lost (in creation), I better take him seriously).

A confectioner says this in the film in respect of his potential competitor Nobin Chandra Das who is lost in the pursuit of invention of his dream dessert for years. This is what makes Rosogolla more than a sweet love story where the boy fights all odds to invent his girl’s dessert of desire and it simultaneously becomes an inspiring saga of perseverance of a creator. And that makes it a story that very much needed to be told.

Rosogolla is the real life story of the nineteenth century invention of Bengal's globally famed dessert (Rosogolla) by confectioner Nobin Chandra Das who took up the challenge in his early twenties to make a sweet of his lover's desire, nothing like which anyone had ever seen. He married Khirodmoni, his love, through the course of this and fulfilled her desire amid all kinds of misfortune, insult and unending failures that came their way.

Ujaan Ganguly as Nobin Chandra Das

The charm of the film is that it’s a simple story of Bengali’s favourite dessert that’s simply told. The story is penned well by Pavel and Smaranjit Chakaraborty, a well-known author. Pavel spins his yarn on screen with a main thread in a pleasingly unhurried pace and does not digress with sub-plots and unnecessary characters which is not unusual in a period piece. Though the storytelling approach is modelled on mainstream and lacks nuances in places and in some characters, it is thoroughly watchable. It is adorably garnished with dollops of old world charm of the nineteenth century Kolkata. The trivia of invention of Aam Sandesh and Baikuntho Bhog is also one of the attractions.

Having said that, the chemistry between Nobin and Khirodmoni needed better crafting. Many moments between them could be developed better. Also, the character of Baikuntho (Nobin’s partner) is over-the-top and Amritalal Banik (The patents man) is not well-etched.

Abantika delivers a fine and convincing portrayal of Khirodmoni in her debut. She brings out well the chirpy, tomboyish, yet level-headed girl who is the perfect foil to the unmaterialistic genius Nobin Chandra Das and his strongest pillar of support. Ujaan as Nobin shows promise in some scenes with measured delivery but surprisingly goes over the top in quite a few scenes. The story being centred on his character, the performance called for thoughtful handling and the director shares responsibility for this too. Rajatava as Kalidas Indra (The confectioner who was Nobin’s first employer and subsequent competitor), Kharaj as Mahesh, Nobin’s assistant, Aparajita as the golden-hearted zamindar wife and Bidipta as Nobin’s mother are well cast and play their parts well. Lew Hilt is a pleasant surprise as Paolo, the British gentleman who was a patron of the native culture. It has the historical character of confectioner Bhim Chandra Nag (played well by Tamal Roy Chowdhury) and another confectioner Ganguram also appears in a flash. However, Kaushik Sen doesn’t shine as Amritlal Banik with a stylization that doesn’t quite fall in place and Shantilal, with an awful wig, isn’t impressive as Chandu Babu/ Baikuntho except for the end appearance. Subhashree’s Hindi in the character of Malkhaan jaan, the tawaif  needed more attention.

Abantika Biswas as Khirodmoni

Music is a strength of the film and the earthy score of Kalikaprasad aid the storytelling brilliantly. Khodar Banda breaks out amid virgin rural landscape within a few minutes of the film, giving it a zesty start. Tapur Tupur, brilliantly written, composed and sung by Arnab Dutta is an immensely endearing love ballad. Supriyo Dutta’s camerawork brings out the era nicely. It was obvious that the production design had a woefully limited budget for a period piece and despite best efforts, outdoor shots of Kolkata stuck out unflatteringly which computer graphics couldn’t make good. Though it is not desirable in a period film, I would still like to overlook this blemish as it is a satisfying watch on overall consideration.

At the end, it suffices to say that every Bengali across the world should watch this film as it’s a story of our roots that is worthy of it.

#Rosogolla #BanglaCinema #NobinChandraDas

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A porky evening with friends at Tung Nam

As the year is drawing to a close, the tired mind itching to take a break from work and unwind. And catching up with friends over food is one of the best ways to go about it.

Anirban Acharya comes to hometown Kolkata every winter from London where he works. He’s ‘fishy’ like me, with an undying Bengali love for all things fish. We met virtually, in a Facebook food group (Easy guess!). For Bengalis, if food comes, can cinema be far behind? After all that's one of the hot topics in a Bengali adda and my namesake can be considered part of discerning audience. So our virtual friendship soon extended to my Facebook cinema group We the Audience. The group likes to share quality content on cinema, post audience reviews of current and past movies (Bengali, Hindi and English) and engage in discussions. If you are interested, you are welcome to join here.

Coming back to food, our virtual friendship had the first physical meeting in January this year, near the end of his last winter vacation. I took my fishy friend to a pice hotel Sidheshwari Ashram (If you wish to know what the term means, read this post on this blog) followed by a visit to the iconic Coffee House. And we knew we would meet again. Our next food destination options kept getting ticked over Facebook interactions.  

Anirban, just after arriving at Kolkata, created a WhatsApp group to coordinate our first meet-up. A dinner meet in Tung Nam- one of the best yet lesser known Chinese restaurants in the city, located in old Chinatown (in Tiretta Bazar, which happens to be India's oldest Chinatown). Our common friend, food blogger Indrajit Lahiri was part of the Tung Nam plan from day zero. Another common friend, food blogger Abhimanyu Chakaraborty, who blogs in Bengali, joined in. Tung Nam is run by a Chinese family from the same locality and is popular in the city pork lover circuit.

When we met in the restaurant in the evening, I found that not much has changed from years back when I came last. They still blissfully ignore what is called ‘ambience’. In fact, they don’t even call it a restaurant but an eating house. Got the drift? Only the walls of which the paint was old and coming off are now tiled. The colour of the table tops is wearing off and a scooter is parked right inside. An unpretentious set-up like this suits me perfectly fine and if you care for good food and little else, should suit you too. What makes it a more homely experience is, the owner may come to you, take your order, serve you, give you the bill and collect cash. Thus you shall get the best guide for what to order as per your palate. That's what happened in our case- a short, fair, middle aged lady came to collect our order. She didn’t allow me to take her picture, but you can spot her in the next photo.

We went off the mark with Steamed Pork Wonton and Pork Wonton Soup followed by Chilli Garlic Pepper Pork, Roast Chilli Pork and Mushroom Baby Corn Pork. The wontons were moist, had the right amount of fat and tasted finger-licking good, as usual! As Abhimanyu pointed out, even the skin of the wonton was yummy! The soup was basically a clear soup but distinctly flavourful, the kind one can call the perfect comfort food. The use of ham choy in the wonton and the soup, typical of this eatery, gives a fine tweak of flavour to these dishes.

Steamed Pork Wonton

Pork Wonton Soup

The Chilli Garlic Pepper Pork had a scary red colour, yet spicy and tasteful. The Chilli Pork was dry and good in taste but I found it to be rather oily. Also it had a lot of fat which spoilt the pleasure to an extent. 

Chilli Garlic Pepper Pork

Roast Chilli Pork

I was bowled over by the delicately flavoured Mushroom Baby Corn Pork. It was a pleasant break from the sharp Chinese flavours. I love mushroom and it added to the taste. It can especially be good for those who like light flavours, like children. It easily earned a place on my list of favourites from Tung Nam. I liked the meat-to-fat ratio of the dishes which is an important parameter of eating pork. Here it seemed to be within 70:30 except the Roast Chilli Pork. After polishing off two plates each of the wonton and the soup and one plate of the other three, Indrajit and Abhimanyu, two Tung Nam loyals, thought of what to order in main course. We were relishing every bit of our piggy indulgence.

Mushroom Baby Corn Pork

The mains arrived- Rice with Pork Ham Choy, Pork with Hamei Sauce and Pork Chou Sui (One portion each). The first dish was spicy and pungent, small chunks of pork on a generous bed of steamed rice. Abhimanyu shared that it used to be sticky rice but has possibly been changed to align to the average customer’s palate. The Chou Sui had rice wine sauce in it. Indrajit shared that as far as his knowledge of Hamei Sauce was concerned, a paste of shrimp and chilli was used to make it. I found a hit of red chilli flakes in all the three dishes. Pork with Hamei Sauce and Pork Chou Sui scored better on taste.

Rice with Pork Ham Choy

Pork Chou Sui

We felt full and decided to call it a day. Our bill, surprisingly, was just Rs 1900 including four bottles of 300 ml cold drink. It’s a pointer to how affordable good food is in Kolkata.

#ChineseCuisine #ChineseFood #Pork #KolkataChineseFood #ChinaTown #OldChinatown

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A beefy lunch at Shim Shim

I first read about this new kid on the block in a social media post by food blogger friend Indrajit Lahiri as the only known place serving beef momo in the city. Beef momo! That's interesting, I thought. To me, momo equals steamed pork momo. So another kind of it with red meat should be good.

An opportunity came up to have it and many more beefy delights when Indrajit arranged for a meet-up with friend and well-known food blogger Yummraj (with his rani) and another friend and noted food blogger Sabyasachi Raychaudhuri over lunch last Saturday. I knew Sabyasachida through social media and met him for the first time. And man, what a fabulous beef fest it was over endless food talk!

It's a moderate-sized, tastefully decorated restaurant on Tibetan theme with contrasting brick-coloured and white walls with functional, iron chairs and wall-side sofa seating. It serves Tibetan and Chinese Cuisine with a bit of Mongolian and Nepali thrown in. The staff is young and soft-spoken.

We started off with Beef Kothay (Momo with a roasted bottom). Juicy and delicately spicy mincemeat inside a soft skin got it a thumbs up!

Beef Kothay

Yummraj ordered the Oxtail Clear Soup after he curiously found it on the menu. But it didn't impress us. The only disappointment in our memorable lunch.

Oxtail Clear Soup

Up next was the Beef Thukpa. The flavourful broth with strips of beef, noodles and veggies set the palate right. In fact one of the reasons why we didn't like the Oxtail soup was that it tasted like the thukpa. The last starter was Beef Phalay which is like a kachori stuffed with mincemeat. Crunchy outside, moist inside, it  scored with us effortlessly.

Beef Phalay

Moving on to main course, we ordered Chilli Beef and Mongolian Beef to go with steamed Gobindobhog rice. The Chilli Beef was cooked to perfection. It was dry with the heat of a generous amount of slit chilli and the goodness of spices. There were various shapes of beef. Before you have it, squeeze a bit of lime on it and it will be irresistible!

Chilli Beef 

We loved the Mongolian beef too which was low on hotness. The hint of sweetness made it stand out.

Mongolian Beef

An interesting thing came up in our food talk. The habit of people to mean 'Hot' by the word 'Spicy'. As it is, 'Spicy' means it will give the feel of being well-cooked with spices and may not actually be hot at all. In fact, a lightly-cooked dish can also be spicy (Shukto, the Bengali appetizer, is one).

We finished the main course with the scrumptious Beef Kofta. The crunchy exterior loaded with juicy mince beef inside won us over! It can be a damn good starter as well.

Beef Kofta

We were feeling full and content and rounded it off with Crispy Pancake with Banana and Nutella. The look was inviting and Nutella oozed out of it as I held a piece. A fitting end of a thoroughly pleasing meal!

Crispy Pancake with Banana and Nutella

The prices are pocket-friendly. Our bill came to around Rs 2200 after eating to our heart's content and repeating a few dishes. A great afternoon spent over delectable food and good company.

I have to come back, especially if I have a beef craving.


#Beef #BeefDishes #Tibetan #KolkataFood


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Film review: Kabir

Language: Bengali

Director: Aniket Chattopadhyay
Cast: Dev, Rukmini Maitra, Priyanka Sarkar, Shataf Figar, Krishnendu Dewanji, Arna Mukhopadhyay

Release date: 13th April 2018

A Bengali suspense thriller with terrorism as a subject and a big star in the lead, shot largely in an express train and on location in Kolkata and Mumbai evokes curiosity. Having been familiar with Aniket's work, which is his lowbrow sitcoms, I went to the show with no expectations.

Yasmin Khatun (Rukmini Maitra) is leaving Mumbai to catch her train to Howrah on the day a chain of blasts is taking place in important and busy places in Mumbai in 2012. Her taxi driver refuses to go past a point and police, already bogged down by the blasts, is of no help. She gets a lift from a young and friendly man Abir Chatterjee (Dev) who drops her to the CST station. They meet again in the station, then in the terribly delayed Duronto Express in the evening as co-passengers. The journey turns a nightmare for Yasmin as her dark past comes back and she must answer Abir where Imtiaz, a member of Indian Mujahideen, is hiding after an act of treachery against his gang in Kolkata. Where her ordeal leads to through the course of the journey is what the film is about. Giving away anything beyond this will be a spoiler.

Rukmini Maitra in the film

The premise of the serial bomb blasts of Mumbai leading to the capture of a senior Indian Mujahideen functionary is sound (the film is based on the 2011 Mumbai blasts and the arrest of co-founder of Indian Mujahideen (IM) and conspirator of several bomb blasts in India, Yasin Bhatkal). This is a clear departure from Aniket’s style of filmmaking and he has surprised with this one. He has written and made a thriller based on a serious subject like terrorism without losing focus on the flow and not bringing in unnecessary sub plots or a love angle or songs (There is just one sufi song). The storytelling and cinematic idiom are simple and aimed at a larger audience than urban films, so there are few compromises and over-simplification, but the end product looks good and enjoyable. The suspense and drama have been built skilfully into the plot aided by the twists and turns (A good example is showing the two versions of the ‘Imtiaz’ story). The action sequences look real for a change in Bangla cinema. The film is about a train journey and most of it is inside one train compartment, but the pacing has been done well with flashback shots and few shots from the present. Aniket has used shots of the moving train from various angles at different points of its journey (like passing by stations, passing through a bridge, entering and exiting a tunnel) which, in entirety, has not only made the audience feel the journey but has also provided visual relief.

All in all, it didn’t feel like a Bengali film. Aniket’s extensive research for his story is evident and credit goes to him for presenting to us such a different story, though I wish he showed the preparation of the IM gang for the planned blasts in Kolkata in greater detail.

Most of characters are etched out well. But STF officer Damayanti’s (Priyanka Sarkar) characterisation lacks meat, and Yasmin’s father (Pradip Mukherjee), should have not been used merely as a storytelling device. Same goes for Ashraf, the terrorist (Krishnendu Dewanji).

Rukmini is a revelation in this movie. Not only she looks her part of a strong-minded woman with a wounded past, she brings out the nuances of the expressions competently, given that she was a non-actor two films back. Her laughter at the end was shot and edited tactfully and therefore lost some impact but I understand that it was tough for her to do it in one shot. She should be noticed much more after Kabir. Dev has cast himself as the protagonist and though his performance is much better than what we see in his mainstream flicks and he has his moments, it needed more work to get under the skin, which includes English and Hindi diction and physical acting (though the director has cleverly justified his Bengali diction). I would alos have liked the character colder and more piercing. The other actors have been well-cast and Arno Mukhopadhyay is impressive on debut as Imtiaz. Krishnendu Dewanji, a talented actor from the stage, didn't have many lines but impresses in silent moments. But I felt Ruksana's father (Pradip Mukherjee) deserved a better-written character. A talented actor like Priyanka Sarkar was miscast. She didn’t look her part of a tough STF officer. A non-Bengali actor, preferably a new face, would be better.

Arno Mukhopadhyay (centre), Krishnendu Dewanji (left) and Shataf Figar (right) in the film

But it needs mention that a good job has been done in casting in the bit roles, eg. the railway catering staff, the policemen on the road and the security force members which have helped build the narrative fabric. Everybody in these roles looks his/ her part.

The movie stands out for the swell job in cinematography by Harendra Singh. The largely hand-held camerawork in real locations and natural light gives a raw, documentary-like texture to the film which makes the narrative realistic yet not losing out on the dramatic appeal. Rabiranjan Maitra’s editing is a decent job and the movie doesn’t drag it its one hour and fifty minutes of runtime. The background score is typical of thrillers but at places it is a bit too loud. The Moula song is pleasant and sensibly placed.

There are a few flawed shots, like Priyanka's lip-matching and accent in the meeting didn't seem right and I didn’t understand how Imtiaz got shot from his back while hidden behind a statue during the encounter without the force changing positions. But these can be overlooked as Kabir nails it as a suspense thriller with a fresh and gritty subject.

The images have been sourced from the trailer and the song clips of the film on YouTube.

#Kabir #BanglaCinema #BanglaCinema2018 #Dev

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Film review: Mayurakshi

Language- Bengali

Director- Atanu Ghosh
Cast- Soumitra Chatterjee, Prosenjit, Sudipta Chakraborty, Indrani Halder, Gargi Roychowdhury

Release date- 29th December 2017

The are some films that show and say less, are introvert by nature, yet leave a lot with the audience as they step out of the theatre. Mayurakshi falls in this rare category.

It's about the five days when Aryanil (Prosenjit) comes down from his busy job in Chicago for his ailing father Sushovan (Soumitra) who is suffering from dementia and age-related nervous disorder. He has a sharp memory of distant past, like his son's younger days but not of the time he spent in the cafe with his son a few hours back. It's also about Aryanil's search of a past chapter of his life which brings him a realisation and an impact to his father's life.

Mayurakshi is a departure from conventional narrative-led style of storytelling of Bangla cinema, which is also new to the body of work of Atanu Ghosh. The director has a yen for exploring various thought-provoking subjects in his films and for the creative courage he has shown in writing the film and executing it uncompromisingly to tell a poignant tale that tugs at the heartstrings, it will add the brightest feather to his cap. 

The characters are etched with care and they have been given the scope they deserve. Atanu has brought alive Sushovan’s mental condition, knowledge about diverse subjects and deep affection for his son in small, confident strokes. Aryanil is a character which impressed me much. He is sensitive and introvert and his two divorces have made him more reticent. Sahana (Indrani) is a character written in a matured way and such no-strings-attached friend who Aryanil can confide in and share secrets with is exceptional in Bangla cinema.

The way Atanu concludes the film underlines the saying that life must go on while dealing with adversities.

The film is perfectly cast and boasts of minimalistic acting by the ensemble cast where Soumitra shines with an amazingly nuanced act that one expects of a legend that he is. He looks so incredibly effortless as Sushovan that it's hard to believe he is acting. Prosenjit was a revelation for me in this film and due credit to Atanu for extracting this measured performance out of the star actor known for his mannerisms. A role that almost robs the actor of his strongest weapon i.e. dialogue delivery that plays to the gallery, he makes great use of silence, finer expressions a lot of which through his beautiful and expressive eyes. Aryanil is brought to life with all his inner strength to cope with life, loneliness, longing for a true companion and love for his father. Both the actors create an admirable yet poignant father-son bonding that is rarely seen on Bengali screen. Their breaking down scenes towards the end are heart-wrenching. These two roles will remain highpoints of their career.

Sudipta derserves mention for her measured and credible act as Mallika, the housekeeper in Sushovan's residence looking after him and Indrani as Sahana leaves a lasting impression. Indrani is a capable and grossly underutilized actress and it was good to see her back after long. The last memorable performance of hers for me was Atanu's earlier film Takhan Teish. 

Gargi's small, one-scene presence was much impressive and again it goes to the credit of the director to have extracted a perdformance that is clean of the familiar, refined diction.   

Soumik's camera, as always, creates the true feel of an old south Kolkata house.There are many close shots of the protagonists, like those where Prosenjit emotes with his eyes or the soul-touching father-son moments (like the one where Aryanil is dabbing powder on Sudhovan) that are etched out beautifully on screen by Soumik. Editing was a pivotal function for such a film that's a fine weave of moments and Sujoy Datta Ray does a fine job of it, never letting it drag. Debajyoti's background score provides the apt support to the storytelling.

#Mayurakshi #BanglaCinema #BengaliCinema 

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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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The take on Chhaya O Chhobi

প্রিয় সিনেমাওয়ালা

আপনার ছবি দেখা স্বভাবে পরিণত হয়েছে। আর 'সিনেমাওয়ালা' ছবিটার পর আপনাকে এই নামেই ডাকি। পরাণবাবুর প্রতিভার ব‍্যাপারে ওয়াকিবহাল ছিলাম, কিন্তু ঐ পালিশ করা পুরনো সোনার ঝলকানি এর আগে যে এমনভাবে দেখিনি। সাম্প্রতিক বাংলা সিনেমার প্রতি ভরসা বাড়িয়ে দেয় অমন একটা ছবি।

এক তরুণ পরিচালক সম্প্রতি আপনার মূল্যায়ন  করেছেন, "...দারুন দারুন আইডিয়া নিয়ে কাজ করেন কিন্তু সবসময় সেই আইডিয়া থেকে ভাল গল্প বলেন না।" জানেন, 'বিসর্জন' দেখে ভাল লাগলেও সেই তৃপ্তিটা পাইনি, কিন্তু কাল 'ছায়া ও ছবি' দেখে ঐ কথাটার সাথে একমত হতেই হচ্ছে যে, সিনেমাওয়ালা। বিসর্জনেও তো দুর্বল গল্প জয়ার মত মারকাটারি ব‍্যাটসম‍্যান নিয়ে আর নিজে ব‍্যাট করে উতরে দিতে হল। আপনার মত অভিনেতা নিংসন্দেহে টালিগঞ্জে দুর্লভ।

জানি, আপনাকে জীবিকানির্বাহের জন্য বছরে দুটো ছবি করতেই হয়। কিন্তু এখন মনে হচ্ছে না করতে হলেই ভাল হত। একটাই করলে আরো যত্ন নিয়ে করতে পারতেন। এক ছবির কাজ শেষ না করেই আরেকটা ধরে ফেলতে হত না।

ভাল যা লেগেছে আগে বলে নিই। কোয়েল কেরিয়ারের সেরা কাজ করেছেন এই ছবিতে, যেটার আকাঙ্খায় ওনার এই ছবি করা। সুপারস্টার রাই চ‍্যাটার্জি আর কাকেই বা মানাত? বয়স চেহারায় ছাপ ফেলছে, কেরিয়ারের এই পর্যায়ে এসে কোয়েল আর রাইয়ের ভাবনা ঐ লাইনটায় মিলে যায়- "ছবিতো অনেক হল, এবার সিনেমা করতে চাই"। 

Source: Chhaya O Chhobi trailer on YouTube

ঋত্বিক দারুণ! উনি দলের সেরা ব‍্যাটসম‍্যান, প্রত্যাশা বেশি, আর সেটা পূরণ করার মত চরিত্রও লিখেছেন আপনি।

Source: Chhaya O Chhobi trailer on YouTube

চূর্ণী.....কি আর বলব....এই রোলটা ওনাকে মনে রেখেই লেখা বোঝাই যায়, আর মায়া হয়ে উনিও অভিনয়ের মায়াজাল বুনেছেন। বাংলা সিনেমায় ওনার মত ক্ষমতাশালী অভিনেত্রীর জন্য রোল লেখা হয়না, এটা আমাদের, দর্শকদেরই অপ্রাপ্তি।

Source: Chhaya O Chhobi trailer on YouTube

প্রিয়াঙ্কা প্রতিভাময়ী অভিনেত্রী এবং দুঃখের বিষয়, প্রায়ই ওনার ক্ষমতার চেয়ে ছোট মাপের রোলে ওনাকে ফিট করতে হয়। তবে মৌ ঠিক ওনার মাপে কাটা, তাই ঝলমল করেছেন।

Source: Chhaya O Chhobi trailer on YouTube

তবে আবির কিন্তু স্টার অরিন্দম হয়ে উঠতে পারেননি, তা সে ওনাকে যতই সুন্দর দেখাক। উনি আর আপনি দুজনেই কি ভুলে গেছিলেন যে অরিন্দম মেনস্ট্রিম ছবির স্টার, চলনেবলনে সেটাই হয়ে উঠতে হবে, খামতি হলে চলবে না? এই ছবির সংলাপ ধরেই বলতে হচ্ছে, "A star is a star is a star".....and not everybody can be a star on screen. আর আবির-কোয়েলের কেমিস্ট্রি বড়ই হতাশ করল। মানে কিছুই হলনা আর কি। অথচ ছবিটা দাঁড়ানোর জন্য ওটার বড় প্রয়োজন ছিল।

গল্পটার সম্ভাবনা ছিল, কিন্তু ঠিক দানা বেঁধে উঠলোনা।  দুটৌ গানতো একেবারেই আরোপিত। নায়িকা খামখেয়ালি হতে পারেন, তা বলে পাহাড়ি রাস্তায় চলা গাড়ির মাথায় বসে গান! গানটা সুন্দর এবং মজার, কিন্তু মনে হচ্ছিল, এটা কৌশিক গাঙ্গুলির ছবি দেখছি তো! 'ছেঁড়া ড্রইং খাতা'ও তাই। বড় ভাল গান, কিন্তু ঐ টেনশনের মূহুর্তে! 'একলা আকাশ'ও ভাল গান নিয়ে ঠিক মেনস্ট্রিম ছবির মত একটা আপোস। আর অত খারাপ একটা স্বপ্নদৃশ‍্য শেষ কবে দেখেছি মনে পড়ে না। আবার মনে হচ্ছিল, এটা সিনেমাওয়ালার ছবি!

একটা দৃশ্যে জিতু (ঋত্বিক) দুএক ঢোঁক পানের অনুমতি চাইছে রাইয়ের কাছে কারণ তার মত পাহাড়ের মানুষেরও হোটেলের বাইরেটা ভীষণ ঠান্ডা লাগছে। অথচ তাঁর জামার হাতা গোটানো। আর হাফ জ‍্যাকেট পড়ে ত়াঁর হাবভাবে ঠান্ডা বোঝা গেলনা। এরকম ডিটেলিংয়ে ফাঁক আপনার ছবিতে দেখেছি কি? ঋত্বিককে সার্চ করার মত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ দৃশ্যে কন্টিনিউটি গ‍্যাপও আছে।

বাংলা ছবিতে এখন রোম‍্যান্সের বড় অভাব, সেটা  সামান্য পূরণ করল ছবির শেষটা। এটার জন্য আপনাকে আন্তরিক ধন্যবাদ। ফ্রিজ ফ্রেমটা বহুদিন মনে থাকবে। কিন্তু শেষ ওভারে খুব ভাল ব‍্যাট করেও টার্গেটের কাছাকাছি পৌঁছনো গেলনা।

আত্মতুষ্টি পরিচালকের এবং চিত্রনাট্যকারের বড় কাঁটা। আর যেহেতু এই কাঁটা নিজের মনেই অজান্তে তৈরি হয়, একে ঠিক সময়ে চেনা সহজ নয়। এই ছবিতে ঐ কাঁটাটাই বারবার বিঁধল।

তবে আপনি অত্যন্ত বুদ্ধিমান, বিচক্ষন পরিচালক। আপনি ফর্মে ফিরতে দেরি করবেন না, সে ভরসা আছে।

ভাল থাকবেন সিনেমাওয়ালা। ভাল করে ভাববেন। পাশে আছি।

ইতি
আপনার ছবির একনিষ্ঠ এক দর্শক


#ChhayaOChhobi #KaushikGanguly #BanglaCinema #BengaliCinema #Koel #RitwickChakraborty

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Film review: Maacher Jhol

Language- Bengali

Cast- Ritwick Chakaraborty, Mamata Shankar, Sumanta Mukherjee, Paoli Dam, Sauraseni Maitra, Kaya Blocksage and others.

Director- Pratim D Gupta

Release date- 18th August 2017

We show our love for food by shooting and posting food pictures on social media, discuss food with friends and colleagues, take pride in the identity of Bengali being a foodie community but never think of paying a fitting tribute to food in our cinema. And here, finally, we have a food film! Thanks to Pratim to start with, just for the choice of subject (See his interview to this blog here. He said a food film was brewing in him for quite some time).

Dev D is an internationally acclaimed MasterChef running his Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris. He lives in with his French girlfriend but is reluctant to commit to marriage. His mother's illness brings him to India after thirteen years and he is given a task by his mother- to cook the same 'Maacher jhol' (A light Bengali fish curry with a subtle flavour) that he had cooked for her in his teens. He devotes himself to come up with a flawless dish and learns precious life lessons in the process. Whether he succeeded in cooking the perfect 'Maacher jhol' is what the film unfolds.

What is endearing about the film is that it lives up to its name. Like 'Maacher Jhol' is a simple dish rustled up by Bengali mothers for family members (it's not a dish to treat guests to), the film follows a simple plot and stays loyal to it. There is a sub plot but that has been given only as much importance as it deserves. The dialogue has a succinct quality that's rare in today's Bangla cinema. The characters speak in our language, only as much as needed, and the message is conveyed perfectly. A sprinkle of humour at places adds flavour to the storytelling. A thumbs up to Pratim's writing and making, in that order. A good film starts with a good script, it reminds yet another time.

The setting in France (apart from Kolkata) where the film opens, has given the film a fresh and classy feel. There are a lot of French lines in the beginning and thereafter and the first eleven minutes have only French but it doesn't feel out of place because of the simplicity of the story and the Bengali and English subtitles.

Ritwick has brought out the persona of a successful professional who is a caring son and a Bengali at heart successfully. His look is apt for a simple and brilliant Bengali student from an orthodox family who ended up as a global culinary celebrity. As Dev D he exudes a quiet confidence which stands in contrast with Debdutta Sen- his younger phase when he was into a job after studying engineering to meet his father's expectations but was not liking it at all as his passion lay in cooking. Debdutta was unhappy and unsure. Ritwick has created this range of personality traits with his face, eyes and physical acting that displays the mastery of his acumen. I shall remember his gaze at his mother on the hospital bed when he saw her for the first time after thirteen years (see picture below). It explains why after working with him in Shaheb Bibi Golaam Pratim wanted to make an entire film with him.

Source: Maacher Jhol trailer on YouTube

One good thing about the film is that the protagonist is revered for his craft, but flawed as a human being. This makes Dev D all flesh and blood.  Through the film he evolves as a human being and this growth curve elevates the film.

Maacher Jhol is well cast and the actors have done complete justice in their roles. It has helped that the characters are etched out well. Perhaps only Mamata Shankar could have brought Dev's mother to life. It's a treat to watch her become such an endearing character on screen after long and justifies her admirable  body of work with important directors of Bangla cinema. Paoli (playing Dev's wife from a loveless marriage who he left to pursue his passion in France) has limited screen time but her Sreela binds the film. The growth of Dev as a human being is all thanks to her. Sumanta Mukherjee is perfect as the 'bonedi' north Kolkatan patriarch who is proud of the blue blood of the family.  Kaya Blocksage is likable as Dev's French girlfriend. Sauraseni Maitra, a newcomer in Bangla cinema, is good as chef Maggi who is the satellite to the planet called Dev D. Her gen Y vibes are spot on. She was impressive in Meghnadbodh Rohoshyo too (Read the review here). Bangla cinema is in serious need of young talent like hers.

Source: Maacher Jhol trailer on YouTube

Anupam Roy is commendable in the limited scope of just three songs (Two in the film and one playing with end credits). The Rabindrasangeet 'Je tore pagol bawle' beautifully sung by Shaheb Chattopadhyay has been applied well in the montage of Paris early in the film. 'Dawttok' is a gem of a melancholic number built around Dev's nostalgia sung by Anupam. Young DoP Subhankar Bhar is an established name in cinematography now and he has shown Paris, north Kolkata and the modern Kolkata in the right hues. I particularly liked Paris on his camera- classy but not overwhelmingly attractive. Subhajit Singha, who works with Kaushik Ganguly, has done a swell job in editing that has ensured the story is well told in a length of less than two hours (108 minutes).

Not that it doesn't have its share of blemishes. A few scenes are weak, like the drunken scene and the one of procurement of 'bori' (sun dried and fried lentil dumpling) for cooking. Also a few shots in the cooking scenes look straight out of TV ads of spice brands and appear out of place. The similar cooking shots are played again and again, so after a point they feel like stock shots and bring a monotony. This is a flaw hard to ignore in a food film. Showing the chef in action and an interaction with his assistant would perhaps have added the desired seasoning. Dev and his girlfriend are not shown getting intimate except a hug even in private. A romantic kiss in Paris where the film comes back at the end would have been the perfect freeze frame but all we are left with is a hint of it. And finally, such a nice and peppy title track in the lovely voice of Nikita Gandhi got wasted in the background play with end credits. However, these that do not take away much from the overall experience.

Overall, a simple and taut film which has 'Bangaliana' at its core. The aftertaste of the 'jhol' will last long just like mother's cooking.

#Cinema #BanglaCinema #RitwickChakraborty #Paoli #MaacherJhol

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