There are a few films that are mystifying because you are left wondering if the filmmaker is dead serious or if the tongue is firmly in the cheek. Ami Jokhon Hema Malini is one such film; at one level, you may be distracted by its quixotic syntax, at another level, you may be impressed by its sense of satire.The text is a juxtaposition of two tracks. The one about a downbeat film director, Manik, suffering a personal as well as a professional crisis, trying to make a film, and the other, Dharmendra, an ageing homeopathic doctor battling with cancer and intermittent depression as he becomes involved with a lady, Hema Malini, who identifies with her illustrious namesake.
The second story is fleshed out in greater detail, and the twin narratives intersect each other towards the conclusion. It appears that ‘Hema Malini’ is symbolic of that ‘obscure object of desire’ — ‘something’ that so many seek but cannot find. That elusive identity that one assumes without realising that the desired persona is out of reach.
On the whole, it is a commendable endeavour with sharp satire and a critique of modern middle-class mores, holding hands with an occasional lapse into absurdity. The fortune teller who becomes a dietician and the subtly scheming wife of Dharmendra rub shoulders with the doctor’s opinionated attendant. Some of the scenes involving the supporting cast are well executed and the realism with which the absurd dialogues are delivered gives the film a surreal feel.
This definitely deserves praise, but the disjointed nature of the screenplay leaves one a tad dissatisfied. There are several gaps in the narrative which may cause reactions of two kinds in the viewers. Some may be left cold by the incompleteness. Others could react positively as the gaps could prove challenging and deciphering the myriad resonances may prove to be energising.
Director Paramita Munsi must be appreciated for creating a motion picture that is ‘out of the box’. She has steered clear of the familiar tropes that have fossilised Bangla cinema today. If Chiranjeet as Dharmendra is believable and sensitive in his portrayal, it is to the director’s credit that she has created such a wonderful character, full of uncertainties and idiosyncrasies. His feeding of the pigeons is reminiscent of that classic Czech film, Funny Old Man, by the celebrated Karel Kachyna!
The supporting cast has also been handled well, and Kanchana Moitra as Dharmendra’s assistant is, as usual, outstanding, to say the least. Chaiti Ghoshal, as the media-savvy doctor, Nandini, is perfect in her delivery of the ‘absurd’ dialogue, and the script here is brilliant, to put it mildly. Rahul, as Manik, is restrained and dignified, but his character and his story fall short of being convincing because of the superficial treatment and the fact that the scenes were not sufficiently fleshed out.
Yet, Rahul’s charismatic presence, even as he battles the demons in his head, makes some of the scenes come alive. Bhaswar, as someone who cannot ‘rise to the occasion’, lends a subtle sense of humour to his brief appearance but vanishes mysteriously. This area could have been blended more authentically in the narrative. Papia Rao, in the eponymous role of Hema Malini, is adequate, and her sudden appearances and mystifying backstory do justice to the surreal nature of the narrative.
This is an interesting albeit flawed piece of cinema, and the director and her DoPs, Jaydeep Bose and Amlan Saha, have created some striking compositions for which the production designer, Sudip Bhattacharya, also deserves credit. The mise-en-scene, while being adequate, could have used a few necessary close-ups in the long interaction involving Nandini, Dharmendra, Hema and the attendant. At times, one also felt that so many characters in the hydra-headed narrative added to the clutter, but having said that, the various voices did add a bewitching flavour to the tale.
Coming to the concept, it is a reworking of a theme often explored in literature but the incompleteness, the absurdity bordering on the expressionistic, the gaps in the narrative and the subtle albeit zany humour in the dialogue effectively raise the level of the film to something worth seeing more than once.
The film does not attempt to be preachy or ponderous, yet there are several sequences quite well written. That the doctor could empathise with Hema Malini is a wonderful element in the script as is the pain behind the maudlin poses of Hema. The characters have been painted with great generosity of spirit and so, despite some of its shortcomings, Ami Jokhon Hema Malini is a creative endeavour that is not only out of the ordinary but also engaging because it is a wonderful mix of pathos and bathos!
