Kashi Katha Review 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Kashi Katha

 Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Anindita Bose,

           Subhasish Mukhopadhyay, Prasun Gayen,

           Biswanath Basu
Director: Judhajit Sarkar

Thanks to several literary fictions and our imagination, we have by now learnt to accept the trend of talking animals. The creatures who silently witness everything and keep incidents treasured. Maybe their lack of communication with the selfish mankind, donates them some sanity and peace. But what if a goat blah's true stories to a butcher just at the moment when he is about to be chopped into pieces? Do not let your mind run wild. The goat is the protagonist of Judhajit Sarkar's Khasi Katha.

The story narrates the struggle of two siblings - Parvez (Prasun Gyne) and Salma (Anindita Bose), who are ready to achieve a career and make a life of their own, after their father loses a job. It's about how Parvez goes the criminal way, while Salma takes up boxing for her personal satisfaction. Amidst the speaking goat, the voice of the innocent animal. The reality and the dreams of the characters come out quite satisfactorily and melt together to make khasi katha a script per excellence. The voice of Kanchan Mallick as the innocent goat comes out quite remarkably and cuts a mark even though there are too much human cacophony in the film.

The actors are worth mentioning. Even though the storyline excites but cant reach the highest rhythmic order, but the acting cements the film and at times makes us wonder what could we have missed if the acting was not of this level. Excellent cast selection and appropriate role delivery by each actor including Naseeruddin Shah. Anindita Bose deserves a special mention in her role as the boxer. What wonderful portrayal of innocence within the hard shell.

To summarise, the narrative born from the goat's storytelling is exciting, innocent and too real. A genuine film for all age groups, and promises to send everyone home with enough take away. A must watch for all who are part of the unreal times, to get a feel of the reality. To understand the tough times with a natural positivity.

Arundhati 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Arundhati

 Stars: Koel Mallick, Indraneil Sengupta

Costumes: Jayanti Sen

Music: Jeet Ganguly

Singers: Kailash Kher, Madhuraa Bhattacharya, Monali Thakur

Choreograph: Baba Yadav

Script & Dialogue: N K Salil

Producer: Rajiv Tandon, Nispal Rane

Director: Sujit Mondal

Banner: Shree Venkatesh Films & Surinder Films

The story of reincarnation and rebirth is nothing new. Enough of excitement has been generated with stories of this sort for long. The underlying enigma of this theme however does not fail to excite though and there are enough reasons for one to fall prey to stories like this again and again. Arundhati explores this storyline quite proudly but with a twist. The original Telegu version had already sealed its place quite strongly in the audience's mind, when an official bengali remake hits the theatres.
Mishti (Koel Mallick) is the rebirth or her great grandmother Rani Arundhati and is born once again after years to finish off the evil soul Kalrudra. The film follows the ill-fated story of the royal family of Dhulibari. Mishti (Koel) is the daughter of this princely family who is the fjrst born daughter after her great grandmother. On visiting the ancesteral home for her marriage, she comes to know that she is the spitting image of her great-grandmother. She also gets to know that Arundhati gave her life to protect her people from the evil Rudra (Indraneil), whom she had buried alive with a lot of hymns and chants. Mishti finally accepts the role she was born to keep alive. The tasks she had infront of her, was the unfinished tasks or her great grandmother. Of slaying Rudra with the final blow.

The cast apart from Koel and Indraneil, is equally talented and superbly fits their roles perfectly well. Soma Chakrabarty, Debshankar Halder are really good and have excellent screen presence. Indraneil as the kalrudra Successfully demonstrates evil and is bound to haunt the audience with his looks and mannerisms. The special effects of Arundhati is also commendable and brilliantly seals in the story and the cast together.

To conclude, even though the film is incomplete without its Telegu counterpart and the main narrative. But the bengali clone by Sujit Mandal will not dissapoint and there is enough granduer and superiority in terms of the sets and mis en scene, that you will surely not want to miss. An uno watch will not bother you much though.

Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay

Cast: Ankush Hazra, Subhasree Ganguly, Symon Sadik,
Director: Anonno Mamun  
Producer: Ashok Dhanuka  
Music: Savvy, Hridoy Khan 
Cinematography: Kumud Verma 
Editing: M. Susmit 
Screenplay: Eskay Movies 
Story/Writer: Anonno Mamun

 

Ami Shudhu Cheyechhi Tomaaye is a story of love as sacrifice This is the second directorial feature of Ashok Pati who made his debut with Khiladi which was a box office hit. It marks the first pairing of Ankush Hazra and Shubhasree in the romantic lead with Vikram forming the uncomfortable third angle of a problematic triangle. The film has been shot across picturesque locales in Kolkata, Darjeeling, the Rann of Kutch, Bangladesh and Bangkok.

Abhi (Ankush) and Bhoomi (Shubhasree) were close friends since Abhi was in class III. This childhood friendship grew into love when the two grew up. But it was completely one-sided for Abhi because Bhoomi did not have the slightest interest in him and was surprised by his every move to take pain on her behalf, to make her happy come what may and trying to please her every minute. When Bhoomi moves to Darjeeling for higher studies, Abhi, son of a rich scion, chased her to the hilly town and changed his manner, behaviour and mindset to be the ideal boy hoping that it would turn Bhoomi towards him. He became extremely good in studies, gave up drinking and smoking and gallivanting around instead of attending classes. But all this did not draw Bhoomi to him. She had fallen in love with Joy (Bikram). When Abhi finds that she is truly in love with Bikram and not with him he makes every effort to get them married to live happily ever after.

The first half is a big big bore because nothing much happens except Abhi’s wooing tactics that are even more boring and unintelligent and least entertaining. The second half changes to some action when Bhoomi goes to Bangladesh because her dominating father is a landlord wants to marry her off to the family enemy’s dreadful son. Since Joy is scared to go to Bangladesh and ask Bhoomi’s hand in marriage from her father, Abhi takes the responsibility and promises Joy that he will see to it that he gets Bhoomi for a bride. What happens in the end after prolonged circumlocutions and twists and turns till one is ready to doze off is anyone’s guess.

What can any director do with such a wafer-thin plot tell me? So, Pati can hardly do much about his thin storyline sans depth in characterisation. There are many songs in the second half with dream scenes shot in Bangkok which is now almost Kolkata because the skyscrapers and manicured gardens can be recognized by everyone. One song is truly good but it does not fit into the situation or the mood and seems to have been imposed from without. Ankush tries to do the best in an ill-conceived and predictable role and one feels a bit of empathy for him when one sees his desperation to unite the girl he loves to the boy she thinks she loves. But he distinctly lacks a screen presence and fades next to the glamorous Shubashree. Bikram is okay in an okay role while Subhashree has precious little to do except flutter her eyelashes, wear colourful costumes and look pretty, which she already is.

The worse piece of news is that though this critic caught the film on the day of its release at Indira theatre for the evening show, there were hardly ten to 15 couples in the balcony and perhaps an equal number in the stalls. Some of the couples had come for you-know-what but the point one is making is that one wonders what fate Ami Shudhu Cheyechhi Tomaaye will meet at the box office if this is the situation on the first day, second show. You can give it a miss if you so wish.