Set in the beautiful hills of Wayanad in Kerala, filmmaker Indrasis Acharya’s Goodbye Mountain captures a breathtaking view of the mountains while narrating a love story filled with countless possibilities. The bittersweet romance that unfolds on screen reminds us of the importance of love and romance in life — unbound by age, circumstances or the idea of permanence — that reinvigorates life.
Produced by NK Mohamed, the film stars Rituparna Sengupta and Indraneil Sengupta in lead roles. They portray former lovers who have rekindled their romance after being apart for 22 years, choosing to spend 22 days together in the hills. Served as bookends, Indraneil’s character, Arjun, narrates the love story, while Rituparna’s character, Anandi, finds herself torn between desire and responsibility. Ananya Sengupta and Anirban Bhattacharyya’s characters serve as reminders of the realities that interrupt the fairytale lives of the two former lovers during their time in the hills. Ananya plays a health professional while Anirban plays Anandi’s husband.
The film illustrates that love and romance are not constrained by age. Sometimes it is an ecstatic call hard to resist and transcends all limitations. Rituparna and Indraneil’s characters, Anandi and Arjun, exemplify this with their chemistry. The simple joys of their mundane, everyday life in the hills reignite their passion for each other and remind the audience of how love is lived in moments, rather than in grand gestures. Although they decide to live blissfully in the moment, oblivious of their present circumstances or their future, reality keeps interrupting their time together with memories of the past, and challenges of their current lives. Harsh truths await them.
Goodbye Mountain celebrates the impermanence of love, with a streak of infidelity. There’s a surrender to a moment of profound emotions.
A soulful background score by Ranajoy Bhattacharjee skillfully unites the scenes. Diverse genres of music and a subplot featuring a younger generation’s love story add engagement, while the lyrical quality of the film is further enhanced by Indraneil’s recitation of a poem by Jibanananda Das. Indrasis also experiments with traditional intertitles to prevent the narrative from becoming monotonous. Glimpses from the premiere at PVR-Inox in South City last Friday:
Rituparna Sengupta looked stunning in a vibrant yellow and blue sari. "I am excited and happy to see that Goodbye Mountain has finally released. With back-to-back releases of my films this year, placing the films was becoming a little difficult initially. I think people were waiting for Goodbye Mountain. I am happy that Indrasis has made a film like this. It celebrates the ecstasy of love. I have a lot of regard for NK Mohamed, the producer. We are hoping to have a dubbed version of the film in Malayalam soon," said Rituparna.
