Autograph is an honest homage to Satyajit Ray and his Nayak (Nayak revisited, October 15). The best part is that Nayak is never misused in Autograph. The continuous and oblique references to Nayak in the narrative leaves the audience in a state of confused adoration.

The film scores in its casting, music and cinematography. Prosenjit renders one of his most mellow performances ever, after Dosar and Swapner Din.

Indraneil Sengupta is a revelation. As a soul-stirring tale of loss and lament, Autograph leaves a deep imprint on the minds of the audience.

But I have an objection to how school-teaching is portrayed in today’s cinema. When Srinandita (Nandana Sen) is torn between her love for Shubho (Indraneil) and her allegiance to Arun Chatterjee (Prosenjit), she decides to go to Darjeeling to be a schoolteacher. Shubho is shocked at her decision to be a “schoolteacher”. In Jab We Met too, the heroine, Geet, when rejected by her boyfriend, takes up teaching in a school in Shimla.

Why is it that a person who fails to leave a mark in his or her respective field has to turn to school-teaching as an alternative career? And that too in a small town? Why is teaching in a school viewed as something taken up by a loser?

Dibbo Roy, Santoshpur Avenue

Thanks to t2 and Barun Chanda for the review on Autograph. The Saptami rain made me pass up pandal-hopping for Autograph, a choice I did not regret at the end of the evening. I congratulate Srijit Mukherjee for his mature craftsmanship. The parallel narrative style of Autograph clearly shows his confidence in his work. It is encouraging to see new Bengali directors being given the creative freedom to showcase their talent by leading production houses of Tollygunge.

Autograph stands out for Prosenjit’s portrayal of Arun Chatterjee. He was so natural in the role that it felt like he was living the character. Indraneil too deserves a salute; his was probably the most complex character in the movie and he brought it to life with such panache. Rudraprasad Sengupta was awesome in the cameo. Nandana was good in parts; her acting looked laboured and stiff at times. But the pace of the film could have been faster.

Bappaditya Bandopadhyay

I went to see Autograph with reasonably high expectations but came back sorely disappointed. The film revisits Nayak but adds next to nothing to Ray’s classic. Autograph’s pace is excruciatingly slow. With tighter editing and the running time brought down by at least 45 minutes, it would have been far more effective. Nandana is miscast; she hams for the most part. Indraneil’s change of heart midway is sudden and unconvincing. The camaraderie of the live-in couple looks forced.

What saves this film is Prosenjit’s compelling performance. Moody, erratic and whimsical by turns, Prosenjit brilliantly conveys the loneliness of a superstar. The scene where he watches his private confessions being played out on TV has a close-up of his eyes and they convey all the pain and hurt he feels.

Subhankar Bhattacharya