The year 2024 in Tollywood saw a mixed bag of films: some box office hits, others emotionally resonate, but many lacking quality and substance, reports Ruchira, exclusively for Different Truths.
The past year, 2024, was a mixed bag when it comes to the question of films churned out by our very own Tollywood. Although quite a few of them were box office hits and others emotionally popular, they lacked quality and substance. Let’s take a look at a few:
Ajogyo (worthless)
A couple is struggling to make ends meet after Covid. The man, Raktim (played by Shilajit), has lost his job due to wrongful accusations of fraud at a private bank. Raktim begins drinking even in the morning—an alarming sign—while his wife, Parna (played by Rituparna), dutifully prepares the morning cup of tea and searches for a job to help navigate the financial crisis that has suddenly befallen them. She eventually secures a position with a good boss who makes all the right promises.
Raktim finds himself in the role of a house husband, getting their little daughter ready for school and generally managing the household with the help of domestic staff. However, he despises this situation and feels trapped. He frequently visits a bar on Park Street at night, despite having an EMI in a flat he is tied to; he opts for a single malt whiskey. He often gets into nasty fights with bartenders who shortchange him. A chance encounter with a stranger named Prosen (played by Prosenjit) at the bar leads to the beginning of a love triangle.
However, there is a twist in the tale. Prosen has a troubled past, and the film frequently flashes back to a disturbing image of an elderly man being strapped to railway tracks as a speeding train approaches. While this is not a thriller, these visuals serve as red herrings in a plot that keeps viewers in suspense. Is Prosen the good Samaritan he appears to be? The film could be described as a love story set against a backdrop of political turmoil, where one father was a communist and the other an industrialist. It is a simple tale of middle-class heroism and hidden secrets that could be quite compelling if executed well.
Babli
The story unfolds in the early 1990s. Abhiroop (Abir) is a graduate of the London School of Economics. On his journey from Imphal to Dimapur by car, he befriends Damayanti, also fondly called Babli, who is a niece of his boss. Babli (Shubhasri), a vivacious chubby girl (pun intended), feels that writers don’t create stories about people like her, leading to some insecurities and an inferiority complex about her weight. Nonetheless, their friendship begins to deepen during the journey. When their car breaks down midway, they are forced to stay in a wooden house in the jungle, and Babli starts to feel vulnerable, especially upon discovering that her air hostess friend Jhuma is also attracted to Abhiroop. However, it turns out Abhiroop is Jhuma’s brother’s friend, and there is no love interest involved. Babli is overjoyed and heaves a sigh of relief while acknowledging her friend’s sacrifice.
Shontan (progeny)
This story illustrates the tension and challenges within a deteriorating relationship between a son and his elderly, ailing parents. Sharadindu (Mithun Chakrabarty) is an old man, living with his wife, Mala (Anasua Majumdar). Their son Indranil (Ritwik Chakrabarty) is self-centered and selfish, working at a multinational company. Despite his high income and luxurious lifestyle with his wife Ria, he is unwilling to provide financial assistance for his mother’s medical treatments, even when Sharadindu approaches him for help with Mala’s surgery.
Indranil humiliates his father and refuses to give any money, claiming he has other important expenses. Hurt and enraged, Sharadindu files a legal suit against his son for the ill-treatment and negligence of his elderly parents.
Things take an unexpected turn when Mala, torn between her responsibilities as a mother and a wife, asks Sharadindu to withdraw the case against Indranil, despite their suffering. The story further unfolds in an emotional drama between Indranil and his parents inside and outside the courtroom. Eventually, Indranil realizes his mistakes, albeit too late.
Shastri
Porimol (Mithun Chakrabarty), an undereducated factory worker, loses his job and faces major hardships. By a stroke of good fortune, he stumbles upon a pair of magic spectacles that enable him to foresee (read predict) the future and earn money, thus altering the course of his life. However, it takes a heavy toll on his personal life and bliss; he repents and turns back to his earlier life.
Aranyer Prachin Probad
Now, I would term this as a bit too much. Aranya (Indraneil Sengupta), a final year medical student with a passion for sleuthing and playing cricket as well, seizes an opportunity to assist his brother-in-law, a CID officer (played by crooner Shilajit) in the reopened murder case of a certain conscientious Dr Amit Roy in Panaghat. As the investigation unfolds, it reveals rampant underlying corruption. Oh, before I forget, the young man also has a habit of uttering adages and proverbs, which folks might find a tad irksome.
Chaalchitra
The film depicts Ranjan Dutt as an angry young man who struggles to piece together his future. Passionate about theatre, Ranjan faces obstacles when his radical productions are shut down by the authorities. He has a major fallout with his fellow theatre group members and grows to dislike Calcutta for its perceived intellectual limitations. His disdain for Communism drives him to prioritize individual liberty over collective efforts. Ranjan dreams of moving to Berlin to train as an apprentice in theatre, but he is conflicted due to his responsibilities as a husband and father. Amid this turmoil, he meets Kunal Sen (played by Anjan Dutt), a maverick filmmaker and Marxist intellectual who helps ease Ranjan’s anxieties. Summing up, the film serves as a reflection of Anjan Dutt’s real-life introduction to Mrinal Sen during the early ‘80s, culminating in their collaboration on “Chaalchitra” (The Kaleidoscope), their first film together.
Nayan Rahasya (Eye Mystery)
The tale revolves around Nayan, aka Jyotishka (Abhinav Barua), a prodigy with extraordinary numerical skills. Nayan becomes the star attraction in magic shows organized by magician Sunil Tarafdar, played by Debnath Chatterjee. As the shows gain popularity, Tarafdar faces the attention of various unscrupulous individuals eager to exploit Nayan’s abilities for their own gain. They include Hodgson (Bharat Kaul), who seeks Nayan’s help to win bets at the Calcutta Racecourse. Taraknath Thakur/TNT (played by Supriyo Dutta) desires to add Nayan to his collection of extraordinary individuals, while Nandalal Basak (portrayed by Biswajit Chakraborty) acts as an agent for a foreign impresario aiming to hire Nayan for international performances.
Concerned about Nayan’s safety, Tarafdar reaches out to Feluda, especially since he’s preparing for a series of magic shows in South India, beginning in Chennai. The arrival of a mysterious benefactor named Hingorani (Mohan Agashe) leads to his murder, prompting Feluda to sharpen his intellect, or ‘magajastra,’ to solve the case. Matters become more complicated when Nayan goes missing.
The buildup to the climax—the murder and kidnapping—feels excessively drawn out, while the resolution occurs too hastily. Furthermore, the film misses the classic Feluda climax, where the sleuth gathers all the characters in one room to unravel the mystery. While Ray Junior remains true to the original story, the adaptation lacks the excitement and tension typically associated with a Feluda adventure story.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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