It’s the 1940s, Bengali cinema’s topmost actress has suddenly withdrawn from films, leaving a swirl of speculation in the wake of her self-exile and the buzz of an off-screen affair with her equally famous co-star. With this as the premise, you go in to watch Arindam Sil’s Maayakumari primed for a period film with high drama. But it turns out to be more of a suspense thriller moonlighting as a period drama, which, surprisingly, comes across as a pleasant surprise.
Starring Rituparna Sengupta as Maayakumari and Abir Chatterjee as Kanan Kumar, the costume drama follows a film-within-a-film format, at the heart of which is a saga of love, longing and betrayal.
It begins with Soumitra, a filmmaker (Indrasish Roy), working on a biopic of Maayakumari, who ruled the silver screen in the 1940s as a superhit screen couple along with co-star Kanan Kumar. An on-screen kiss between the pair for a film stirred up a controversy, leading up to Maayakumari exiting the film industry and the world of glamour. In his biopic-within-the-film, Soumitra casts Kanan Kumar’s grandson Ahir (also played by Abir Chatterjee) in the role of his grandfather. He has chosen Runi (Arunima Ghosh), an upcoming model, in the role of Maayakumari. A series of shocking revelations during the film shoot forces both Ahir and Soumitra to question their version of Maayakumari’s life story.
The first half of Maayakumari is a breezy ride. Sil gives us a feel of a ‘real’ film shoot with a detailed depiction of Soumitra’s film shoot — the banter between the crew members, prepping the set, actors getting ready for make-up and Ahir’s dalliance with Runi. The scene where Runi faces the camera for the first time, faltering with her lines, is hilarious. The mood is light and Sil lets us soak in the fun before delivering the first twist. Thereon, the film goes full throttle into the thrill zone, which is Sil’s home ground. The plot shifts from a Zubeidaa-esque tribute to a forgotten heroine to an Om Shanti Om-like suspense thriller, but a lot of strands unfolding at the same time takes a toll on the pace.
Bickram Ghosh helps set the mood with his retro compositions that capture the essence of the bygone era. Madhubanti Bagchi’s Madhu Mashe is a constant refrain throughout the film, underlining Maaya’s tragic love life. Through the dialogues, Subhendu Dasmunshi pays a nod to classics of that era and shares interesting tidbits on stars like Kanan Devi and Suchitra Sen. The screenplay shuttles between timelines, sometimes blurring the divide between the past and the present.
Abir and Rituparna undergo a complete makeover for their roles in Maayakumari. Somanth Kundu’s prosthetic make-up transforms them into yesteryear stars Kanan and Maaya. Even their accents are a throwback to the cinema of the 1940s. There is a gravitas in Abir’s portrayal of Kanan Kumar. Rituparna, on the other hand, effortlessly carries the allure and intensity of a reclusive star. Arunima Ghosh is also a force to reckon with in this drama, especially in the scenes where she is playing Maayakumari, her attire, diction and body language exuding a nostalgic appeal.
Rajatava Dutta and Ambarish Bhattacharya leave a lasting impact in their brief appearances. Ambarish — who plays Soumitra’s cinematographer — always lightens up the mood with his jovial nature. Rajatava nails the role of Sheetal Bhattacharya, Maaya’s misunderstood husband, with his voice modulation and some help from prosthetic makeup.
At its core, Maayakumari is a love story that ends in heartbreak. Maaya’s affair with Kanan finds a resonance in Ahir’s relationship with Runi. Sil also portrays the various shades of love through Preeti, a transgender make-up artist (played by Arna Mukhopadhyay) and Nandini (Sauraseni Maitra), an assistant director who is madly in love with Runi. It is refreshing to see non-heteronormative characters not being reduced to caricatures.
