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| A dramatic dinner sequence from Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Aparajita Tumi that released on Friday |
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s film Aparajita Tumi is a visual treat. The film does justice to the magic of Sunil Gangopadhyay’s story, Dui Nari Haate Torobari, as it weaves itself around the familiar tale of its three lead characters, Pradip (Prosenjit), Kuhu (Padmapriya) and Ushashi (Kamalinee Mukherjee).
Pradip and Kuhu, married and living in San Jose with their two children, seem to live a dream life, as they paint the picture of the typical happy family.
Ushashi, an attractive and complex woman, is married to Ronojoy (Chandan Roy Sanyal), in the same city and are friends of the couple. Ushashi seems to have lost the fleeting novelty of being a rich NRI’s wife, and has found the familiar boredom and loneliness of a childless, cold marriage.
Kuhu is a ‘says-it-like-it-is’ sort of woman who doesn’t seem to have the time or patience for the niceties of being polite and careful around the sensitive and under-confident Ushashi, nor does she seem to have the patience for her husband’s mediocrity.
Kuhu’s overly forthright comments, which tend to hurt Ushashi’s approval-seeking nature, create ripples in their relationship, finally bringing matters to a head at a party thrown by the proud hostess, Ushashi, in honour of celebrity guest Soumitra Chatterjee. Kuhu unthinkingly makes a negative comment regarding Ushashi’s cooking which severely bruises her pride, and things end up taking a different turn, leaving the characters picking up the pieces of their fragmented lives.
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A lyrical montage of images set to music, Aparajita Tumi leaves one with memorable impressions of a solitary woman sitting on the shore at the helm of crashing waves that echo the chaos in her life. We see a husband and a wife sitting next to each other at dinner with a world of emptiness between them. We see a man numbed by his mediocrity, consumed by his passions, and crushed by his mistakes. We see a child’s drawing of a setting sun that refuses to rise ever again. We see the little homage to Taxi Driver as Pradip moonlights in the wee hours of the night. The images reach their pinnacle with the haunting silhouette of Pradip’s fingers miming playing piano keys in the air.
However, in the context of such artistry I can’t help wishing that the in-film advertising had been done a little more seamlessly.
A round of applause for Prosenjit Chatterjee. Here is an actor who has been, and still is, a matinee idol for over two decades, who yet continues to lend himself to challenging experimental roles with his portrayals of a tainted superstar, a corrupt police officer and here, a simple flawed man. He exposes the vulnerability and complexity of Pradip’s character.
Kudos to Padmapriya for her impressive Bengali and for essaying the role of the film’s leading lady the way she did. But Kamalinee Mukherjee gets the most difficult character of having to balance between being a victim and a person with an agenda. Ushashi is a sensitive and slightly unhinged new-age Mrs Dalloway and Kamalinee really gets into the skin of the character.
Veteran Soumitra Chatterjee’s guest appearance as himself was a welcome surprise, giving the film an out-of-body moment as we the audience felt ourselves to be a part of the small gathering at the party eagerly hanging on to his each word as he narrated anecdotes about his experiences of working with Satyajit Ray.
Chandan Roy Sanyal takes the cake with his perfect blend of style, cynicism and wit as the NRI husband wrapped up in his work. The astute casting of Kalyan Ray as Kuhu’s uncle, a person with disability, and Tanusree Shankar as Kuhu’s mother, brought a freshness to the film. Indraneil Sengupta stood out as the attractive and charming Yusuf.
The team of Shantanu Moitra, Ranjan Palit, Arghyakamal Mitra, Bishwadeep Chatterjee, Anindya Chattopadhyay and Chandril Bhattacharya, Shyamal Sengupta, Indrani Mukherjee, Neha Rungta and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury sets a whole new standard with the tasteful blend of a visual journey laced with haunting music and lyrics that effortlessly interweave themselves within the dialogue and emotional fabric of the film.
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