DVD/VCD reviews

Filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak’s last award-winning film, Jukti Takko Aar Gappo (Angel Video; VCD, Rs 299) was made in 1974. Here Ghatak plays the lead role himself. The film focuses on the life of an intellectual going through an emotional journey replete with memories of love and friendship. It also has pain and suffering. It is said that in Jukti Takko Aar Gappo, Ritwik did not act. “He only leafed through the pages of his life. Some of them were torn, some were brand-new.” A man who hopes to drown all his pain in alcohol takes the story of his life beyond any reasoning or argument. His wife, unable to bear this decaying, leaves him. The film also has actors like Tripti Mitra, Shaoli Mitra, Bijon Bhattacharya, Utpal Dutt and Gyanesh Mukhopadhyay. A prize possession on any film buff’s shelf.

Honoured with three National Awards, Bhalo Theko (Angel Video; VCD, Rs 199) is the award winning documentary maker Gautam Halder’s debut feature. It also earned debutante Vidya Balan some recognition long before Parineeta happened to her. This is the story of a young maiden called Anandi. It’s the story of the metamorphosis of her family’s present state that unfolds through her. The film has a lyrical quality about it and is an eternal love story between Man and Nature. The story moves back and forth in time between her childhood and her 32nd birthday. The scenic beauty makes for a visual treat. The film also has Soumitra Chatterjee, Debshankar Halder, Joy Sengupta, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rimjhim Gupta and Anashua Majumdar.

When so many films are being made in Bollywood on the fantasy theme of a man who’s allowed to return to earth after he is dead, just take a look at this Bengali movie, Jamalaye Jibanto Manush (Angel Video; VCD, Rs 199) directed by Prafulla Chakrabarty. Bhanu Bandopadhyay is the man who dies an untimely death but cajoles God to send him back to earth and once back he regrets having returned as now he witnesses what his friends and family really think about him. This makes for a hilarious comedy especially with the comic king Bhanu Bandopadhyay in the lead. Others in the cast are Basabi Nandy, Chhabi Biswas and Pahari Sanyal.