Bengali Movie Amar Ami 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Aamar Aami

Cast: Indrasish, Arunima, Biswanath, Kamalika, Hindol, Jhilik

Direction: Orko Sinha.

You just need to see the first few frames, or even the opening credits, to know that a handful of photographically sound people have worked hard on this film. Emotionally stirring black-and-white shots, musically charged situations, smoke and alcohol blurred narration - the camera captures it all. Needless to say, cinematographer Souvik Basu is the reason Orko Sinha's film doesn't fall apart, despite having numerous discrepancies.

There's nothing unique about the story (or should we say, the interconnected stories!). It's almost as if the film deliberately keeps losing track of the subplots to reinstatethe fact that nothing can be perfect. Despite the generously sprinkled point-of-view shots, the essential point or message of the film is lost in the disjointed screenplay. Blatantly premeditated punchlines such as "Bhari tar face ar buk, tate abar facebook" and "Erom takiyo na ami kyabla hoye jai" in the name of dialogues too fail to impress.
Performers such as Kamalika Banerjee and Biswanath Basu and Indrasish Roy have been underutilized - their gifts hardly exploited. Especially Kamalika, who only comes on screen to worry over a daughter who doesn't exchange more than three lines with her - Kamalika's "aami"ness or individuality is never established! Arunima Ghosh follows the script to the T and delivers her dialogues, but without the intended effect.

In spite of their few and calculated screen appearances, three actors - Upal Sengupta, Hindol Bhattacharya and little Ayush Das - make an impression. While Upal is his usual charming self (it's almost easy to understand why people from all age bands adore him!), "ulto jangiya pora" Hindol amazes with his crisp comic timing. As for Batul the Great-reading Tutul, aka Ayush, he is thoroughly endearing in the scene where he practises winking.
Music by Kabir and Shiba is another reason why the film doesn't fall flat. Almost all the songs - Aamar aami, Chena chena mukh and Onno keu thakbe - are melodious and have been woven seamlessly into the narrative. So, in a way, they tend to hold together the otherwise jumbled storyline.

Digs at paribartan, society, the film industry, generation gap, class distinction and corporate culture later, one tends to lose the "aami" the film tries to speak about. But then, perhaps that was the message all along!

Bengali Movie Jara Roddure Bhijechilo 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Jara Roddure Bhijechilo

Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, June Maliah, Arjun Chakraborty,

          Subhasish Mukhopadhya

Direction: Bhargonath Bhattacharya.

Jara Roddure Bhijechilo is a movie that touches on a pertinent subject in a very straightforward way. In fact, it goes around the very idea of entertaining storytelling to suck the viewer into a world that revolves around the Bard and his creations. And in doing so, it turns itself into a monotonous musical — bereft of the essence of good storytelling, and at times, even logic.

True, all actors, including the various child artistes are worth a watch, but the storyline is too Tagore-heavy to leave room for anything else. While the male actors have been successful in adding that little bit of colour to their characters under the omnipresent shadow of the great Bard, June Maliah is really good as the mother torn between the love for her child and the vagaries of life.

But it's the storyline that fails miserably. None of the characters, except that of orphan-turned-Daroka's alter ego, Arjun, is done justice. The story of the son and his Boston-returned family falters and shakes, never making any sense throughout the movie. In fact, one fails to understand why do they want to return to the US if their apartment is getting repossessed, the husband is unemployed and the wife runs the family selling flowers on the streets of Boston, when they can live in relative comfort in India?

The songs hold true to the storyline and so does the background score. The camerawork is excellent and one gets to witness some great shots throughout the movie. But overall, Jara Roddure Bhijechilo seems like a movie made with great intentions which fails to venture much beyond the boredom that's inherent to every form of art that gets overdone. Somewhere, the director forgot that the best way to deliver a message is to bring smiles on people's faces...to actually make them enjoy the means, and the end. He seems to have forgotten that the time-tested way to do that is to entertain, not make you shift in your seat waiting for the ordeal to end.

Watch it if you are a hardcore Tagore fan. But if you prefer your movies to carry you away from the hardships of life into a world that's entertaining, this film is not for you.

Bengali Movie Britto 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Britto

Cast: Vikram Chatterjee, Ena Saha, Joy Sengupta, Soumitra Chatterjee,  

          Alakananda Ray, Biswajit Chakrabarty, Shantilal Mukherjee

          and others

Direction: Surajit Dhar

There are movies with thought-provoking insights into human nature, sudden twists of fate or epic narratives. Then there are movies that tell a simple story. Britto falls into the second category. It's an honest and realistic — if tepid — portrayal of two people searching for love.

Ronnie (Vikram) and Mrittika (Ena) are a lower middle-class couple. When Ronnie, the average Joe with no specialized skills or ambition in life, fails to find a regular source of income, Mrittika, his beautiful wife, takes up the job of an escort. The audience gets an overview of the profession that is very much a taboo and is considered a euphemism for prostitution. No wonder she is referred to as a kulin beshya. Mrittika's earnings pull the couple out of penury, at the same time giving Mrittika the taste of unlimited riches. But, at the end of the day, she is just a 20-something girl, who yearns for love and recognition. So, when an opportunity presents itself to make her name as a singer, she readily falls in love with the harbinger of good tidings, Debdatta (Joy). But, is her past ready to let go of her? Does finding love come that easy? Is life that fair?

Vikram makes for a convincing Ronnie. From the guilt of a man, who, to put it crudely, pawns off his wife in exchange for money to the angst of a possessive lover who is ready to let go off all the luxury to keep his woman safe, from the innocence of a husband who does not have it in him to doubt his wife's loyalty to the shock of a cuckolded husband, Vikram establishes the growth of his character well. However, there are scenes when he seems to be going overboard a bit. Joy brings the music composer Debdutta to life. Soumitra Chatterjee and Alokananda Roy do not have much screen time.

But it's Ena, who delivers a laudable performance as Mrittika. Even in a deglam avatar, with a faded swatch of colour on her lips and the slightest hint of kohl, she lights up the screen effortlessly. She brings alive the pain and frustration of a woman torn between conflicting priorities. Her performance is so smooth, it's almost brutal. The scene where she is blackmailed into sex by a wealthy businessman is nerve-racking.

Director Surajit Dhar has a restrained style of storytelling, while cinematographer Amlan Datta deserves much applause for his subtle camera work. However, the film does test your patience at times with the excessive use of hesitation. The 'aahs' and the 'ummm's can be very jarring. Lastly, a few overlapping sequences might make you question the narrative licence.

As a good film, Britto almost comes full circle, but for these occasional glitches.

Bengali Movie Durbin 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Durbin

 Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty,

          Anjana Basu, Aparajita Adya, Rajat Ganguly,

          Nitya Ganguly, Rongeet, Deeptodeep, Ahona,

          Aritra Dutta.

Direction: Swagato Chowdhury.

Pupul (Rongeet) is twelve years old. But, instead of studying and playing like other twelve year olds, the only thing that interests him is solving cases. His two friends, Tatai ( Deeptodeep) and Bhebli ( Ahona), are equally enthusiastic on being sleuths and assisting Pupul. Pupul calls himself Captain Spark (remember Joy Baba Felunath?), roams around with a toy pistol and dreams of possessing a durbin (binocular), which, according to him, will make him a real detective. So when his uncle presents him one on his birthday, disaster strikes. Looking through the durbin, Pupul witnesses a murder and decides to catch the culprit. Now, here comes the twist in the tale. The movie, in the time of promotions, boasted that it brought two legendary Bengali sleuths — Feluda and Byomkesh — together on screen, for the first time. Turns out that the director ( Swagato Chowdhury) has taken a lot of creative liberties and brought the two sleuths, not only in the same frame, but also as neighbours! Of course he has tweaked the names and the circumstances. Prodosh Mishra (not Mittir) aka Feluda lives with his cousin Topshey and teaches Math to little kids. His neighbour Byomkesh Basu (not Bakshi) lives with his writer friend, Ajit. Their landlord, Lalmohan Babu is a 'rohosyo-romancho ouponyashik'. Here, both Feluda and Byomkesh are famous detectives, who are past their prime. The para also has another sleuth, Bhanu Goenda (remember Bhanu Goenda and Jahar Assistant?), who has a catering business as nobody asks him to solve cases anymore.

Initially these connections make you feel like you are taking a trip down memory lane and you appreciate this unique way of paying tributes to the detectives with whom we have grown up. But, after a certain point of time, it becomes less and less amusing. When somebody is dealing with these characters and taking the risk of showing them in a new light, the balance between comedy and parody becomes precarious. Unfortunately, the director, riding high on the excitement of doing something mind-blowing, messes up that balance quite a few times. So when an aging Byomkesh accuses Feluda "Tui amar client bhangiye nicchis" or becomes over-eager to share the remuneration, you feel somebody is trivializing the whole thing by violating a precious childhood memory. Trust this reviewer, it is not a good feeling. The weak and predictable plot also doesn't help things much.

But the film has some really good actors like Soumitra Chatterjee as Byomkesh and Sabyasachi Chakrabarty as Feluda. Their performances, obviously, make it worthwhile. The child artistes, considering it's their first film, are appreciable. Anjana Basu as Pupul's mother is good, so is Aparajita Adya as Madhabi Dutta.

So, if you are not sentimental about Feluda roaming with an empty pistol because he can't afford to buy bullets or Byomkesh confessing that his revolver has gone rusty because of lack of use, you can watch this film.

Hindi Movie Mary Kom 2014 (Hindi Flim Review)

Mary Kom

Director : Omung Kumar

Producer: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Cast : Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom, Minakkshi Kalitaa,

           Zachary Coffin, Sishir Sarma.

When adapted for the big screen, a biopic has to tread its own path. Debutant director Omung Kumar's Mary Kom is based on the incidents in the life of MC Mary Kom (Priyanka Chopra), India's most high-profile female pugilist between the years 1991-2007. The film has been shot for the better part in Imphal, Manipur, where the sportswoman was bred. Born in a humble home in Kangathei, Mary was only a teenager when she decided to pursue boxing, despite inviting her father's ire.

Literally starting with street brawls, Magnificent Mary, as she is nicknamed, blazes her path from ignominy to fame under the tutelage of her coach M. Narjit Singh (Sunil Thapa). But wait, she also chooses to make way for matters of the heart, marriage and kids before coming back to winning global recognition again in 2008, 2010 and 2012. The filmmaker has captured her indefatigable spirit beautifully. He has also thrown light on the administration's apathy towards sports and every time a film mirrors the red-tapism involved in the arena, you want to pick up the baton!

Mary Kom is Bollywood's answer to the Oscar-winner Million Dollar Baby (2004), where Hilary Swank plays an amateur boxing champ trained by Clint Eastwood. But the similarities are only because the protagonists in both films are female boxers. The intention is definitely not to ape.

One star in the rating is definitely reserved for Priyanka. She may not have transcended the physical attributes of the diminutive Mary in the actual sense (except adding a few obvious freckles to her face and slightly drooping eyelids), but she has brought the boxer to life convincingly enough, leaving you rooting for her, long after the end credits roll.

Omung has a tight check on the proceedings post-intermission. The emotional tracks between the boxer and her father (Robin Das), and Mary and her husband Onler (Darshan Kumar), leave you misty-eyed.

But the main reason why Mary Kom appeals is because it doesn't just give you a ringside view of boxing; it leaves you rooting for our sportsmen who have put India on the world map.

Hindi Movie Identity Card 2014 (Hindi Flim Review)

Identity Card

Cast: Tia Bajpai, Furqan Merchant, Saurabh Shukla,Vipin Sharma

Direction: Rahat Kazmi

TV journalist Nazia, her friend Ajay and local tourist guide Raju get abducted in Srinagar, only to find themselves locked in a Special Task Force (STF) cell. With no identity cards on them, rigorous interrogation sessions begin. While the trio claims innocence, the counter-terrorism unit thinks otherwise. Is this a case of mistaken identity or are the three really at fault?

*Identity Card* predominantly tries to highlight human rights violations of Kashmiri civilians in the form of forced disappearances, torturous interrogations and extrajudicial killings. It also tries to comprehend the psyche of terrorists, police and the STF who struggle to differentiate between innocents and suspected insurgents, given the volatile circumstances.

However, Rahat Kazmi's ambitious film tries to bite off more than it can chew. While the director's intention is sincere and noble, he fails to evoke a reaction, owing to his vague execution. Performances are decent but they prove to be futile, given the incoherent script. Especially given the gravity of the topic, solid research was required. The climax too disappoints, given the characters' wishful thinking and over-simplistic conclusion.

Also, throughout the film, you keep wondering if it was intended to be a short dramedy or a gut-wrenching tale of suffering. In either case, it fails to make an impact. After all, you can't merely 'touch upon' an issue as sensitive and intricate as Kashmir.

We don't know about identity but the film lacks substance for sure.

Bengali Movie Hercules 2014 (Bengali Flim Review)

Hercules

Cast: Parambrata Chatterjee, Paoli Dam,

          Saswata Chatterjee, Biswajit Chakraborty

Direction: Abhijit Guha, Sudeshna Roy.

Hercules is a light-hearted swipe at the harsh realities of modern-day life in Kolkata. It has all the characters — the simpleton, who is too used to abuse to be ashamed of his weaknesses, the para goon, who can go to any length to maintain his 'image', the girl-next-door, who always has cupid following her with arrows on the ready, and the saviour, who truly knows what to do when circumstances scream, 'Action!' But how can we forget the constant source of stress, the kingpin who makes goons dance to his tune? Yes, he is in the film too.

But it's Parambrata who steals the show as the goon-tormented simpleton, Haru — replicating the mannerisms of a weak-kneed nobody to perfection. He is also good in his other avatar — the hardened criminal, Bhondor. Saswata, on the other hand, is kind of sweet as the local goon, Mosh. He gets everything — confused, insulted, beaten up — except the girl, and Haru's property. And the actor has delivered the character perfectly to the audience. As for the girl, Paoli has done her bit complete justice as Meenu — Haru's long-time crush and go-to person. Her expressions and body language, however, seem a bit too confident for a girl who runs a PCO to make both ends meet. BiswajitChakraborty, too, is good as realtor Bajoria, who wants Haru's property to build the entrance to a shopping mall coming up on the adjoining plot. Of course, we have to mention the nameless characters who added colour to Haru and Mosh's locality — the milkman, the municipal sweeper and the senior citizen, to name a few. Art director Tanmoy Chakrabarty also deserves kudos for creating the perfect para for the film, including that mossy, grimy finish to Haru's rundown home. Every inch of that decrepit building looked old enough to crumble any moment, and it's hard to believe that it was actually a set. The music, on the other hand, is ok, but not something that stays on with you outside the hall.

Moreover, despite the abundance of emotions, the climax seems to leave too many questions unanswered to be truly conclusive. Though no climax ever is, one is left feeling too unsure about Haru's future, especially after the bravado he displays towards the end.

Hercules is a movie you can watch and enjoy. After all, it's so light-hearted that even its villains are sweet and funny!