Ruchira revisits and reviews nine Tollywood films, a mixed fare – exclusively for Different Truths.
It was a mixed bag of Tollywood films last year (2022). A few were epoch-making, some thought-provoking, yet others were disgusting. A review
X= Prem: Directed by Srijit Mukherji, this is an intriguing, futuristic sci-fi. Shot entirely in monochrome, X=Prem has a complicated storyline. Khilaat (Anindya Sengupta), a software engineer, and Joyee (Shruti Das) find themselves in hot soup after a car accident erases Khilaat’s memory of the past decade. After regaining consciousness, Khilaat can’t remember anything about his relationship with Joyee. The desperate couple contacts a doctor, who apparently can transplant memories. And so begins the hunt to find the memory of love. The first half of the film is dull and insipid — too many repeats and flashbacks — the second compensates for it with the entry of two new characters Arnab (Arjun Chakraborty) and his wife, Aditi (Madhurima Basak). Is one of them the ex? It is for the viewers to find out.
Baba, Baby O: Directed by Aritra Mukherjee, the film deals with the complex but contemporary issue of surrogacy. It focuses on a single father who chooses to live on his terms. And how he tries to balance his love life (the lady denoted by O), parents, twin boys, and career to the best of his abilities. More light should have been shed on the topic (rather than the romance) as there is little awareness about the ground and society’s attitude. Hence its treatment appears lacklustre.
Kakababur Plurksrotyaborton: Based on a novel by renowned Bengali author Sunil Gangopadhyay (Jongoler Modhye Ek Hotel), Srijit Mukherji’s film takes you on a virtual safari of the vast wilderness of Africa with danger lurking at every step. The second half offers nail-biting encounters between human beings and Mother Nature. The thumb rule of Kakababu films is that trouble follows him and Santu wherever they go. So, when the duo land in Nairobi, danger lurks close by. As they check into Hotel Little Viceroy, clouds of risk loom over the Maasai community and cast a shadow over Kakababu and Santu’s plans. This film has brilliant cinematography. The dangers Kakababu and Santu face offer a tremendous amount of thrill all through.
Avijit Sen’s Tonic revolves around septuagenarian Jaladhar Sen, who lives with his wife in their son’s family. Their relationship is hampered due to the domineering attitude of their son. The old couple is bitterly disappointed when the son and his wife lavishly celebrate their marriage his anniversary but plan a small get-together for the parents’ 46th one. Next, the older man plans a foreign trip and thus meets a travel agent named Tonic, who turns out to be a lucky mascot.
Sadly, the foreign trip fizzles out due lack of proper documents needed for the lady’s passport. Tonic plans a trip to cheer them up and escorts them to Darjeeling. Here the couple has the time of their lives without monitoring by the son. Tonic organises an anniversary bash for them. The duo discover Tonic lost his parents while he lived abroad. So, he likes to help abandoned or neglected old couples. Afterwards, the older man falls ill and is hospitalised. The son arrives and threatens to report Tonic to the police but changes his mind about how Tonic helped his parents. The film ends with all the characters planning a trip to Paris. There is a palpable undercurrent of sentiment, oodles of melodrama and histrionics notwithstanding.
Aye Khuku Aye: Nirmal Mondol (Prosenjit Chatterjee) is a film star of Prosenjit Chatterjee’s look-alike. He performs stage shows, dancing to Prosenjit’s hit songs. His occasional act at local village shows preceded the superstar’s appearance on stage. However, owing to his baldness, local urchins ridicule him as ‘Teko (bald) Prosen.’ He vends books on local trains. On her part, his daughter Buri (Ditipriya Roy)earns a bit by making and selling homemade pickles and bori (dried lentil dumplings). She is keen to learn dancing but practices secretly in the teeth of her dad’s opposition. Buri meets Sanjay (Rahul Dev Bose), who enlists her in a village self-help group where she can earn independently. He encourages her to dance and gives her a spare mobile phone to access the internet. Things seem fine until the lockdown. Amidst the financial crisis, Sanjay betrays the gullible buri. The title, inspired by a hit song by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Sravanti Mazumder, delves into the emotional father-daughter relationship. in the second half, the director (Sauvik Kundu) appears to mix up several plots. Consequently, the film loses its coherence. Ultimately, we are left with a half-baked narrative of heartbreaks, revenge, and corruption.
Kachhher Manush: In this film directed by Pathikrit Basu, Dev portrays Kuntol, an unemployed man who’s looking for money to treat his paralysed mother. Prosenjit plays an insurance agent who not only encourages Dev to commit suicide but also eyes half of the insurance amount for his sister’s medical treatment. The second half introduces a big plot twist and a couple of big shockers. Dev’s portrayal of an ill-fated-do-gooder is convincing. Prosenjit is authentic as the scheming and desperate Sudarshan. The duo has an effortless sense of camaraderie that is remarkable. The film would be better with a shorter length. Also, fewer songs could have helped to preserve the sombre mood. All said and done, Kacher Manush portrays how people close to us can be our source of motivation and inspiration.
Belashuru: In this Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee flick, the story unfolds five years after the earlier Belaseshe. The leading lady Arati (Swatilekha), has Alzheimer’s disease. She fails to recognise her husband Biswanath (Soumitro) and recalls nothing about her marital life except her four children and their spouses. As Arati can’t tolerate noise, they relocate to Santiniketan. Despite his advancing age, Biswanath single-handedly looks after Arati, possibly to atone for his lifelong negligence and lack of devotion towards her. Arati is unable to recognise her husband and regards him with contempt. She often sneaks out of the house and wanders about aimlessly. Desiring to help Arati regain her memory, Biswanath escorts her to her native village. They are joined by their children as well. At Faridpur, they meet Atindra, her childhood companion. Arati becomes visibly happier and starts recalling her wedding day. In a frantic bid
to salvage the situation, the family recreates her wedding with all rites and rituals. Although her contempt for Biswanath vanishes following the wedding redux, she fails to recognise him. A heartbroken Biswanath decides not to desert her despite all odds.
Rahool Mukherjee’s Kishmish, starring Dev Adhikari and Rukmini Maitra, is a story of two lovers. Tintin (Adhikari) aspires to be a cartoonist. His mom (Anjana Basu) supports him but advises him to complete his studies first to please his father (Kharaj Mukherjee). Tintin enters a college in Darjeeling and falls in love with Rohini (Maitra). She rebuffs him but eventually, he wins her over. The couple decides to convince their parents to give them their blessings. But a secret involving their parents turns emerges as a hurdle. Tintin and Rohini determine to resolve the conflict. I found the film disgusting. Bakwas (to borrow a Hindi term). The dialogues lack quality and sense. The characters act silly, while the screenplay is monotonous.
Byomkesh Hatyamancha: Set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971 and the turbulent phase of the Naxalite uprising in West Bengal, the film (directed by Arindam Seal) is based on Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s incomplete novel Bishupal Bodh. Bishu Pal (Kinjal Nanda) – a popular theatre personality – gets killed right on stage while performing Keechak Badh at Gandharba Theatre in Hatibagan (Kolkata’s Broadway of yesteryears) right before the eyes of Byomkesh (Abir Chatterjee). While he is watching the play accompanied by his wife Satyabati (Sohini Sarkar), assistant Ajit (Suhotra Mukhopadhyay), and friendly neighbour Pratulbabu (Padmanabha Dasgupta). Byomkesh takes up the case, and skeletons tumble out of the cupboard. This detective saga is thrilling to watch.
Kuler Achar: Changing one’s surname after marriage is a controversial issue. Brides must adopt their husbands’ surnames in many households, and noncompliance is often disastrous. The movie Kuler Achar directed by Sudeep Das, captures this vividly. Newlyweds Mithi (Madhumita Sarcar) and Pritam (Vikram Chatterjee) find themselves in hot soup during their honeymoon when the validity of their marriage is questioned because Mithi refuses to change her surname. Post-honeymoon, their domestic life is fraught with tension and strife on this issue. However, there appears a twist in the tale when Mithi’s mom-in-law suddenly decides to discard her marital surname and revoke the one she was born with. All hell breaks loose, but in the process, a silent bond is forged between the two women. The official procedure begins, but by a quirk of fate, Mitali dies before the formalities are completed. The film ends on a poignant note with a dash of liberal ideas, making it appealing to female (read feminist) viewers.
Hirok Gorer Hire: Directed by Sayantan Ghosal, this flick is neither meant to be an entertaining thriller. It fails miserably. The story begins with Aadi (Soham Chakraborty) dreaming of a perfect robbery at a jewellery shop with his friend Rony (Bonny Sengupta). Before they arrive there, the infamous “biker gang” comprising two females, Riya (Koushani Mukherjee) and Tina (Ayoshi Talukdar), decamp with the booty. Aadi and Rony are desperate to safely rehabilitate their aunt Shukalata who is in a mental asylum Home. This is a debt of gratitude towards the lady who mothered them since childhood.
Consequently, they rob the famous diamond of Hirokgor during an exhibition. Who finally gets the diamond forms the rest of the story. The dialogues are disgusting, and the music is raucous. None of the leading figures —Soham, Koushani, Bonny, and Ayoshi — give impressive performances. Best to give it a miss.
Dhrubo Banerjee’s Karna Subarner Guptodhon can be rated as a mélange of rom-com and adventure thriller. The third in the treasure hunt series is the mythical Rohitshwagarh in the erstwhile Gouda Kingdom of King Shashanka – Bengal’s first independent emperor. Prof.Subarna Sen (aka Sonada), Jhinuk, and Abir (Abir Esha &Arjun in that order) trace the gamut of Shashanka’s reign. Like the earlier films, this one follows a set pattern: a pile of hidden treasures with historical connotations lies buried somewhere. The trio invariably stumbles upon it and finally rescues the treasure. However, this film emerges as a wholesome entertainer with a script full of humour, action, loads of thrill, and a fast pace (not forgetting a dash of romance). The camera work, coupled with the special effects, is highly commendable.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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