Total Pageviews

Friday, November 23, 2018

Byomkesh | Joker | A রহস্যময় Crossover |





-        - "একেই শহরে যে rate- রহস্য আর অপরাধ বাড়ছেতাতে হিমশিম খাবার জোগাড়

         আর তার মধ্যে আবার হাজির হল এই উট্কো অতিথি, Joker |”  
         তা ভায়া,  DC Universe ছেড়ে এখানে কি মতলবে?"

-   "আরে না নাব্যোমকেশ দাকোনো মতলবে এখানে আসিনিজানেনই তো, “Do I look like a guy with a plan?” আসলে আপনার আর সত্যবতী বৌদিমণির সুখ্যাতি Gotham অব্দি ছড়িয়ে পড়েছেতাই আজ এখানে আপনাদের সাথে আলাপ করতে আর একটু চা খেতে চলে এলাম |

-"তা ভালোএতে তো আমি বিশেষ আপত্তির কিছু দেখিনা | কিন্তু দেখো ভাইতোমার তো আবার track record বিশেষ বিশ্বাসযোগ্য নয়তাই ছল করে Rachel-এর মতো আমার সত্যর কোনো ক্ষতি করতে যেওনা | আসলে সত্যান্বেষণসত্যবতী আর 'চাছাড়া আমার 
'বাঁচা'-টা বড় কঠিন | আর হ্যাঁ শোনোওই সত্যর সামনে বেশি Gotham-এর নাম নিয়োনাএই আগেরবার কাশ্মীর ঘুরতে যাবার বায়না বড়ই বেদনাদায়ক ছিলসে প্রথমে না হয় আমি 'কথা দিয়ে 
ভূস্বর্গ রচনা করে' manage করেছিলামএবার আর পারবো না |"

আপনি নিশ্চিন্তে থাকুনব্যোমকেশ দা |


বেশতবে বোসোআমি চা বলি...



Art & Write up © Shreya Mitra | All rights reserved
Original Characters:
Byomkesh © Saradindu Bandopadhay
Joker © DC Comics

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Jodi Bolo Hyan- An ode to Nostalgia





'Wise Owl' Restaurant-টা থেকে একটা রোগা, লম্বা, চশমা আর মেরুন পাঞ্জাবি পড়া ছেলে, হন্তদন্ত হয়ে, নীল কুর্তি পড়া, বেশ রেগে যাওয়া মেয়েটির দিকে এগিয়ে গিয়ে বললো, "Miss. Mitra দাঁড়ান, আপনি রেগে গেলেন নাকি?.. তাহলে case-টার একটা সরেজমিন তদন্ত করে দেখতে বলছেন?... কিন্তু আপনি আমার হেল্প কেন করতে চাইছেন বলুন তো?"
উত্তরে মেয়েটির সটান জবাব, "আপনি না detective? উত্তরটা আপনি নিজেই দিন |"
Followed by কিছুটা awkward silence. আর অনেকটা না বলা কথোপকথন|

সত্যিই তো, ওইরকম established মহিলা, নিজের beauty parlour ছেড়ে, শেষমেশ M.B.A পড়া, struggling, detective agency-র মালিককে help করতে গেল কেন? কথা তো ছিল ওই টিকটিকি agency-র সে লেজ যদি না খসিয়ে দিয়েছে তবে তার নাম Lovely Mitra না | কিন্তু ওই যে ভাগ্নে, যদি বলতো 'না', তবে কি হতো 'যদি বলো হ্যাঁ"? এই সায়ন সেন, লাভলী মিত্র, হৈমবতী, লালটু, Mr. & Mrs আইচ- এখনো হৃদয়ের খুব কাছে | তাই মনটা বারবার তাদের জন্য "হ্যাঁ" বলতে রাজি |

Today 9th August, marks 3 years of this amazing Zee Bangla Original Cinema, 'Jodi Bolo Hyan' and there couldn’t have been a better way and better day to rant about this gem of a presentation!
এই গল্পটার theatrical release হয়নি ঠিকই, কিন্তু এর আগে এইরকম witty, sensible handling of a pure and outright romantic comedy in Bengali television- আমার মন ছোঁয়নি | প্রত্যেকটা মানুষের একটা “any mood watchlist” থাকে| আমার যেটি আছে সেই collection-এ এই অসাধারণ ছবিটি এখনো জ্বলজ্বল করে| মন ভালো, মন খারাপ, যাই হোক না কেন, আজও প্রত্যেকটা scene- হাসায়, ভাবায়, মন ছুঁয়ে যায়| এই ছবিটাই আমাকে অনির্বাণ ভট্টাচার্য নামক একজন অবিশ্বাস্য প্রতিভাকে প্রথমবার চেনায়, and there’s no elaborating on the admiration graph ever since |

সময়ের সাথে এই ছবি, এই গান আরও শ্রুতিমধুর হোক, আরও ক্লান্ত মানুষকে দিনের শেষে এক চিলতে হাসি দিক, কাউকে একটা হৈমবতী দিক তার “Sir”এর পাশে থাকার জন্য, একটা লাভলী মিত্র দিক কোন Mrs.আইচকে তার নিজের কাছে নিজেকে চিনিয়ে দেওয়ার জন্য, কাউকে কোন ভজা মামা দিক তার ভাগ্নেকে তার ভালোবাসার বোধটুকু বুঝিয়ে দেওয়ার জন্য| তাই আর কারো হাতে রাখা বিষুবরেখায় যাত্রা নয়, সত্যি, যদি ফিরে আসতে হয়.... হয়তো সত্যি "কৌটোর মাঝখানে, ভোমরা রাখা আছে সাবধানে.."

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Drishtikone| Movie Review| Loving Enough to Let it Go

Image Courtesy: Surinder Films


They say, sometimes the best form of love is the one that’s left unfinished or unrequited or tragically frozen in time. As sadistic it might seem, but often, the most intense and unforgettable love arrives in such forms. And celluloid have always welcomed unconventional love stories with open arms. Irrespective of that fact, Drishtikone stands out as a familiarly unconventional story about love, but not necessarily a love story. The film leaves no stones unturned to register itself as one of the most prominent relationship dramas made in the last couple of years.

I won’t delve much into the storyline because this review is more of an attempt to emotionally decrypt the myriad of emotions that I reeled through while watching the film rather than acting as a voluntary storyteller and spoil the fun for those who are yet to catch the film, because I have always felt, unveiling the story of a film always reflects on the reviewer’s poor insight!

As the title itself has the word “কোণ” in it, which reads “angle” on literal translation, there’s no guessing that the film exhibits and establishes several angles in several means throughout the narrative- different angles of emotions, angles of characters, angles of relationships, angles of thrill and most importantly, the different angles of perceiving the truth. The story follows the lives of Srimoti (played by Rituparna Sengupta), who is on a pursuit of seeking justice for her deceased husband (Kaushik Sen) and Jiyon (Prosenjit Chatterjee), an advocate by profession, who seemingly leads a happy family life with his wife Rumki (Churni Ganguly) and their 2 kids. Director Kaushik Ganguly accumulates all his directorial genius in astutely establishing the changing dynamics of Jiyon, Srimoti and Rumki’s relationships. From capturing the subtle frowns to the hesitant fixation of eyes, Drishtikone soars with brilliance in attesting the qualms, envy, insecurity and helpless of its central characters.

Where we are habituated in seeing flamboyant, melodramatic love triangles, overdone confrontations, impracticable character growths- Drishtikone breaks the popular trend in a commendable way and shows the real struggles of triangular relationships in a much more somber, realistic and relatable manner. The thrill and suspense elements are skillfully blended in the story that, despite getting predictable at times, they do not let you drift away from the core subject line.  The metaphor of “দৃষ্টি”  Or “vision” is beautifully imposed in the film as we see the characters struggle with “light” and “darkness” in both literal and figurative sense. So when Jiyon exclaims, "অন্ধকারটা তোমাদের থেকে একটু বেশিই দেখতে পাই", it hits right in the feels where it makes you ponder how at times, darkness engulfs us all- even the ones with eyesight. The character developments and transformations too, never appear to be rushed. As Jiyon, Srimoti and Rumki gets unknowingly entangled in the eternal battle between light and darkness, love and righteousness, the audience also take a trip to some of their unscathed feelings, unsaid confessions and unexpressed commitments.
Image Courtesy: Surinder Films

The match-winner for Drishtikone is undoubtedly its prodigious cast, their powerhouse performances and definitely the long-standing celebrated on-screen chemistry between Prosenjit and Rituparna that proved once again that 48 films together can still ignite the same fire over and over again. The ‘Prosenjit- Rituparna magic’ which was evidently the primary USP of the film from its inception, unquestionably turns out to be inexplicably magical. It takes a welcome detour from their 90s and early 2000’s collaborations (where Bumbda and Ritu di meant fancy dances, overdramatic dialogues)- to a commendable maturity and composed exchange between the two each time they shared the frame. I think the greatest success mantra for a celebrated pair is the amount of spark and chemistry that flies between them even when they’re not romancing each other. And this is where Kaushik Ganguly and Drishtikone excels. It takes out the best of the chemistry between its lead pairs even in scenes where there is nothing but silence, in moments where there is nothing but aggressive confrontations.

However, for me and I know for many, the biggest treasure of Drishtikone is Churni Ganguly- her impeccable expressions, her unmistakable silence, her minute nuances and her admirable subtleties! I can’t seem to recall the last time since Anirban Bhattacharya in Egoler Chokh, has any actor in a supporting role left me this speechless, until her in this film. Each time she was on screen- she reminded me of Alicia Vikander as Gerda in The Danish Girl, that relentless, indomitable wife who would reach for the impossible for the ones she’s entitled to love and protect. For me, if Drishtikone has a hero, it’s Churni. She wins each scene she is in, she appears the rightful prototype of those of us, who sacrificed immeasurable possibilities and opportunities in life, just for the sake of love, just to protect the ideals of a perfect family but never truly losing herself in the process. The look you have on your face when you see the love of your life becoming the love of someone else’s, the feels you go through when the most important person in your life prioritize someone else over you- I don’t know such looks and feels could have been so incredibly demonstrated on screen if not by Churni.

The only downside of the film, according to me was its dialogues. A film that felt like poem could have been a poetry with just a little crispier and memorable dialogues. Otherwise, Drishtikone is a winner in all true sense. It takes the age-old concept of “love” with all its possibilities and intricacies and presents it in such a convincing and matured form that you cannot help but laud.

To sum it up, Drishtikone succeeds in establishing that yes, the most passionate, the most memorable forms of love are often left unfinished, unaddressed, unacknowledged and in that lies its true attainment. Sometimes the hardest goodbyes are meant to be said for the much needed beginnings, not because the love that was there isn’t there anymore, but because it knows that sometimes “letting go” is the best way to keep that love alive.
So quoting some favorite lines from a Kelly Clarkson song,
“You know that I love you so
I love you enough to let you go

© Shreya Mitra | From a Whisper to a Scream| Blogpost 2018|


Thursday, April 19, 2018

Unearthing The Mystery Beneath History: Alinagarer Golokdhadha| Trailer Review|



Now, almost all of us has an inherent fondness for treasure hunts, wordplays, riddles- something that lead to a definitive closure. And adventure and mystery dramas have always been an undisputed favorite among the cine-goers throughout the globe. However, taking a detour from the heavily hyped and explored adventure genre in Hollywood- ranging from the classic sleuth story of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes to celebrated book-to-screen adventurers like Indiana Jones or even Robert Langdon- the Bengali film industry has stirred up a commendable and revolutionary development with its exploration of the adventure genre. And among the pioneers, who have taken the lead in making this happen, is young promising director Sayantan Ghoshal.
Courtesy: Eros Now Bengali


After the unprecedented success of his 2017 blockbuster debut directorial, “Jawkher Dhan” and his impeccable interpretation of “Byomkesh” in web series, Sayantan is back with another gripping adventure drama on the big screen that, as it promises in the trailer takes you on an incredible journey of unearthing the hidden and forgotten mysteries of Bengal. The 2:23 mins long trailer undoubtedly registers itself as one of the most insightful, adrenaline-packed and truly informative trailers ever made in Bengal.

From the very beginning of the trailer, it hints right on point indicating an apparent death, an unsolved riddle and a probable life-changing revelation on the riddle being solved. Then we’re slowly introduced with the protagonist Soham Dutta, (Portrayed by Anirban Bhattacharya) who is entrusted with the chief responsibility of joining the dots and decrypt the age-old hidden mysteries. We’re also introduced to Brishti, Soham’s friend (played by Parno Mittra) who will assist him in his quest for unveiling the deep, dark truth of the riddles. Each frame evokes intrigue and yet offers something about the story without spilling all the beans.
Courtesy: Eros Now Bengali

After their commendable collaboration in the webseries Byomkesh and having proven their merits, there’s no surprise that Anirban and Sayantan are all geared up to repeat their success story in Alinagar as well. Also the amazing ensemble of powerhouse performers namely Kaushik Sen, Paran Bandhopadhyaya and Gautam Halder already testifies to the film’s brilliance.

From aerial shots to action sequences, the trailer of Alinagar impresses to the core. What is more commendable is how the trailer establishes Bengal in a lesser explored light, showing the known and unknown locations under a shroud of mystery- be it the reference of Plassey and Shirajudaullah or the riddles of the আকাশী আয়না & লক্ষী পুজোর প্রসাদ
Courtesy: Eros Now Bengali


It goes without saying when a trailer wins you over with such irrepressible intensity, the expectation from the film increases manifold.
Alinagarer Golokdhadha, directed by Sayantan Ghosal, presented by Eros Now Bengali, releases tomorrow, 20th April 2018 at cinemas near you.
All the best to the entire team!



© Shreya Mitra | From a Whisper to a Scream| Blogpost 2018|

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Anupam Roy | Birthday Special

জানি হয়তো হৃদয়ের রং ফুরিয়ে যাবে ওবেলার ডালভাতে;
জানি আমি আজকাল ভালো আছি, মন ভালো নেই বলেই|
জানি যাকে দেখে মনে হয়, 'তোর মতো কেউ নেই", তাকেও বলতে হতে পারে , 'তোকে ছাড়া রাত গুলো আলো';
জানি রেখে দিতে পারলেও, থেকে হয়তো যাবে না|
তবু জানি তার-ছেঁড়া যন্ত্রের মাঝখানেই খুঁজে পাওয়া যায় বেঁচে থাকার গান;
ফাঁকা ফ্রেম আর শুকনো পেঁয়াজকলির ভিড়েই, ভালোবাসা ভালো থাকে|
জানি বাড়ি না ফিরেও ঘরে ফেরা যায়;
জানি এক মুহূর্তের জন্যও না চাইলে, সেটাও সত্যি হয়|

তাদের জন্য যাদের মন খারাপের, রাত জাগানো playlist-এ থাকেন অনুপম রায় |
যারা তার সুরে, তার গানে, রোজ একটু করে খুঁজে পায় কোনো না কোনো পুরোনো অভ্যাস||

© Shreya |
#HappyBirthdayAnupamRoy