What do you get when you mix two curious kids, an eccentric teacher, and a mythical object that has been part of our stories for ages? A film that already sounds like a fever dream, and a title track that matches its whimsy beat for beat. The title song of Pokkhirajer Dim, sung by none other than Anirban Bhattacharya, is out now and it’s every bit as delightful as the name suggests. Light, lyrical, and full of childlike wonder, the song is like opening a window to a world where science meets imagination, and everything is just a little topsy-turvy.
The story is simple (or is it?). Ghoton is poor at maths and Batabyal sir has no time for losers because he wants to leave behind a lasting contribution in the world of science. When Ghoton retrieves a forgotten pokkhirajer dim (traditionally, the egg of a flying horse) from a ‘UFO mondir’ in his native village and offers it to Batabyal as a bribe for him to tutor him, Batabyal’s attention is piqued. The egg proves to possess some fantastic qualities, and this is an offer Batabyal cannot refuse.
Cut to, when a wily Englishman arrives to claim the stone, the trio – Batabyal, Ghoton and his friend Poppins – must protect the mythical mind-reading, emotion-knowing dim at all costs.
The title track of Pokkhirajer Dim is a delightful anthem that distinctly reminds you of childhood summer afternoons spent trying to crack maths problems and science equations. It’s the kind of song that makes you smile without realising, especially if you grew up believing that maybe, just maybe, strange and wonderful things can happen if you wish hard enough, but lately have been too preoccupied with being a ‘sensible’ member of society to have your wishes turned into reality. When the world ridicules your ‘illogical dreams’, it is the magic realism of childhood emotions that buoys you against difficult times. The song brings alive this spirit, in a way jolting you back to mythic tales and folk stories of your younger days, clapping you on the back and saying, “Hey, remember what it felt like to believe?”
Visually, the music video is a wonderfully chaotic medley of nostalgia and fantasy. We see makeshift science sessions, Batabyal’s laboratory turning into a launchpad to truly understand the pokkhirajer dim, and Ghoton and Poppins doing their best to figure out both the stone as well as Ghoton’s bumbling inability to grasp anything related to STEM. Anirban Bhattacharya, as the cranky yet determined physicist, moves through the frames like a man who sees the world slightly sideways, and better for it. The colours are warm, the tone playful, and every frame feels like a memory you didn’t know you had. It’s the kind of video that makes you almost want to go back to school — not for the studying, but simply for the fun of it.
With music by Nabarun Bose and lyrics by Soukarya Ghosal, who also directs the film, the song and the trailer both set the scene for a riveting, nostalgic watch. The title track, especially, sets the mood for this, not asking you to escape reality, but simply by inviting you to see it differently – the way you used to see it when you were young. To find wonder and joy in the ordinary, to pause and ask questions that may never have any logical answers. And, above all, to believe, once again, in the magic of winged horses and impossible eggs. Pokkhirajer Dim releases in theatres on June 13.
