What a pleasant and surprising
entertainment from cinema of Bengal! Here’s a film which made point towards
rising commercialization of land property at the cost of old heritage and yet
Director Anik Datta in his debut film manages to bring hilarious comedy, drama
and suspense with all commercial ingredients one demands from a routine
entertainment along with constant satirical fun. Like most of the Indian metros
and commercial capitals, Kolkata too is tuning into concrete jungle by real
estate developers. The heritage buildings are taking shapes of shopping malls
and multiplexes and amid all these the future of ghosts who have been living in
these old houses are in peril.
The film begins with a commercial
ad filmmaker turned director’s arrival to check locations of an old landlord’s
old house. As he’s running short of idea how to wind up his script, he meets a
stranger who narrates him certain interesting characters that led him and us
towards a wonderful journey of story within story. Yes, it’s about ghosts and
their future in pendulum but instead of making a routine spooky drama or
supernatural humdrum, Datta’s script turned more humanitarian and hilariously
funny. He successfully delivered the drama through fine ensemble cast. It’s
wonderful script and screenplay with a tinge of certain commercial ingredients
of song, dance, comedy and drama but what I love is the way he told the whole
story managing the middle of the cinema, not pure art film and not just another
crap in the name of entertainment. I just loved that interview of ghosts
sequence; both social satire and comedy runs through each of the interview
divided between candidate’s plight and reason of death and selection criteria
for accept or reject. Ah and that wonderful Flaherty’s Nannok jumps out from
Alaska to take shelter to ghost home due to global warming! It’s just hilarious
fun I’ve seen in Indian film after a long time.
And for those non Bengali viewers
like me who enjoyed the spark of two Bengali actors in recent Hindi cinema
‘Kahaani’ will relish them here too. Parambrata Chatterjee is surely a
promising young talent and ah once again Saswata Chatterjee (rememeber cold
blooded killer Bob Bishwas) made me clap for his performance of one armed
Kartik. Hope Bengali cinema wil keep entertaining the same way and yes, I’m
looking forward for next of Mr. Datta.
Ratings-8/10
2 comments:
Ha ha ha...Good to see you watching bengali cinema not made by Ray. :)
Frankly, i feel pity bcz (i guess) u dont understand bengali, and u must have seen the movie with the help of subtitles. The whole dialog is written in lyrical way...one of the best things Ray introduced us with. and its hilarious at most of the times...Its indeed a good concept, and i liked the presentation as well, but the movie slacked at places with somewhat unwanted things. Ending was rather predictable...still, i dont want to take the credit that its a unique and a wonderful movie...Bengali cinema is truly going places.
NB: watch the brand new Hemlock Society...a satire on euthanasia and suicides...i went to see last Saturday, and the whole Kolkata was houseful (Trust me its true)...gonna try it again this weekend.
Thanks Abhishek for sharing your views. Well, I love to learn Bengali but it will take years i suppose. Have read mixed views of Hemlock Society, awaiting to watch it with subtitles!!!
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