Bengali Movie Review Thread

analyze · #1 03-10-2006, 11:47 PM

On request of Tapos, I start this thread here. I hope its in right section. If the moderators decide otherwise, please feel free to move to any other subforums which you deem suitable for the thread.

I intend to add some reviews of Bengali movies which I have seen. I do not claim all the review contents to be original. Some of them might be copied from journals or internet sites. I usually do not prefer watching M & B stuff (commercial) so do not expect a Prosenjit movie discussion here. The movies might be little arty kind which might bore the hell out of you all members and Tapos will vouch for that :).

I'll start from next post

analyze · #2 03-10-2006, 11:49 PM

Film : Mando Meyer Upakhyan (Tale of a naughty girl)

Director : Buddhadeb Dasgupta

Language : Bengali

Since I couldnt find any review, I'll add my own. After a long time, I watched a good movie worth mentioning. I wanted to watch this movie but couldnt get my hands. All thank goes to BT for releasing this one.

The movie directed by critically acclaimed director Buddhadeb Dasgupta revolves around the following characters - a good hearted driver, his lecherous master who spends time watching pornography, a prostitute and her daughter, a separate group of prostitutes, and a cat and a truth telling donkey acting as the moral focus. The plot is more surreal rather than subjective depiction of emotion. The director from West Bengal, who is himself a noted poet (acknowledged in the literary circle, he has published 4 novels), is at creative high scaling new height with each of his new movie.

Like most of his recent movies, this one too has a surrealistic touch. The movie is shot aesthetically in wide angles in country side (reminiscent of Antonioni). The visual imagery and the folk songs are blended exceptionally well.

to be continued ...

analyze · #3 03-10-2006, 11:50 PM

The movie is about 4 group of peoples.

1. A good hearted driver who is eternally pissed off because of non-paying passengers find himself in another chaos. Some villagers ask him to take an old couple to a hospital. After initial protest, he agree but the villagers after putting the patient inside his jeep fled. He is in a dilemma what to do. He doesnt know of any hospital around. He looks around for hospital in the barren land while looking for passengers every day with the old couple at the back of the jeep.

2. A prostitute at the end of her career wants to make sure her daughter gets some rich master. The daughter wants to study and asks her school teacher to talk sense to her mother. She and her friend, son of a washerman who has a truth-telling-donkey, catches a mischieveous cat and takes her afar so that she doesnt come back smelling the trail.

3. The master of the driver is a lecher who spends time watching porno and looking for a suitable girl as a keep. He zeroes in on the daughter of the prostitute.

4. A group of prostitutes (friends) in the same brothel who dreams of living in the outside world. They promise a child, who stays there to do some chores, to take her when they leave.

to be continued ...

analyze · #4 03-10-2006, 11:51 PM

The cats looks for a home. And mysteriously crisscrosses the path of the different characters at different time.
The newspaper bring the report about the impending lunar mission in america.
The daughter dreams of seeing the lunar mission from her home.
A murder occurs in the brothel at the day of lunar mission.
This precipitates a series of events.
The cat finds a new home and master in the lecher.
The group leaves the brothel to search of greener pastures.
The driver leaves the old couple (at their own consent) beneath a tree where they plays ludo.
The daughter run away from home to go to calcutta with her school teacher.

**taposhbhai** · #5 03-11-2006, 12:15 AM

anal,donno how would i express my gratitude towards u :adore: :adore:

pls thread ta continue koro.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anal

I usually do not prefer watching M & B stuff (commercial) so do not expect a Prosenjit movie discussion here

and you also DO NOT expect a lot of replies/views for this thread :BigGrin: tumi kon type er review post korbe,ami jani.egulir audience jemon limited,appreciator aaro limited.kintu tobu o kichu na kichu toh sure achei.tader jonno ei thread.

making it sticky and i don want to unstick it ever if u just update the thread in regular basis (i m not asking for every week,just regularly :) )

analyze · #6 03-11-2006, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taposhbhai

anal,donno how would i express my gratitude towards u :adore: :adore:
pls thread ta continue koro.
and you also DO NOT expect a lot of replies/views for this thread :BigGrin: tumi kon type er review post korbe,ami jani.egulir audience jemon limited,appreciator aaro limited.kintu tobu o kichu na kichu toh sure achei.tader jonno ei thread.
making it sticky and i don want to unstick it ever if u just update the thread in regular basis (i m not asking for every week,just regularly )

I know that the thread is not going to garner a response similar to Uttam Kumar's movie :BigGrin:
Thanks for making it sticky. I'll definitely add more reviews in this thread mostly by, as you know, Ray/Ghatak/Sen :p If I can recollect some of the movies which I had seen in my childhood I'll write about them like Basanta Bilap. It was good as far as I can remember :)

**isinpt** · #7 03-11-2006, 04:47 AM

Now we are talking man.really appreciate your step.you just didn't opened a thread also created a huge attraction for a group of people who don't watch movies a lot..

analyze · #8 03-11-2006, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isinpt

Now we are talking man.really appreciate your step.you just didn't opened a thread also created a huge attraction for a group of people who don't watch movies a lot.
you better reserve some post for future,like taposhbhai did for his How to download & play thread.

thanks. I hope to inspire some people to watch art kinda movies or atleast wean them from the staple diet :D. Offcourse I'm a total failure when it comes to weaning taposh. he is a gone case. no wonder he watches telugu movies. :D (just kidding for those who might not know that Tapos knows me from other places)

Aar post reserve korar dorkar nei. kaaron aami ek duto movies er review na ... onek movies er review add korar kotha bhabhchi. :)
Atleast jotogulo movie aami dekhechi.. o gulo ek ek kore add korlei, ei thread ta onek pata pounche jaabe :)

**Dream** · #9 03-11-2006, 01:08 PM

Thank you Analyze for the review. Would love to watch it, unfortunately cannot afford to download huge file at the moment. It is good to have such reviews, that will help people to realize good movie still being made.
Hope to see more reviews in future.
Thanks

**rihaad** · #10 03-12-2006, 08:16 AM

To me "Mondo meyer upaykhan" wasn't a good movie at all . It's full of rubbish . All about the prostitute lives been copied from "Chandni Bar" of bollywood .

analyze · #11 03-12-2006, 10:31 PM

@Dream - Thanks for your reply
@rihaad - Thanks for your insight :p I hope I wont disappoint you when I add the next movie. :BigGrin:

**taposhbhai** · #12 03-12-2006, 10:34 PM

next movie ta ki? basanta bilap?

analyze · #13 03-12-2006, 10:44 PM

Film: Jana Aranya

Director: Satyajit Ray

Language: Bengali

Synopsis

The Middleman opens with a shot of a disinterested proctor monitoring the History final examination at Calcutta University. A student hides a note inside a cigarette box and passes it to Somnath (Pradip Mekherjee), who chooses not to participate in the rampant cheating, and passes on the note to his childhood friend, Sukumar (Gautam Chakravarti). It is a foreshadowing of a career that Somnath will eventually undertake, but never seemed destined for. After receiving a mediocre grade on the history test (primarily because the professor could not read his small handwriting), Somnath's future is uncertain. He applies for every advertised job, only to be discouraged with the prospect of competing with 100,000 other applicants, or perplexed by absurd, unrelated interview questions. One day, he meets an old acquaintance named Bishu (Utpal Dutta), who encourages him to go into business for himself. Somnath wishes to discuss the prospect with his father (Satya Bandyopadhyay), but is greeted home instead with an arranged marriage proposal to the youngest daughter of a cement factory owner. Left with few alternatives, he calls on Bishu the following day to learn about the business of "order supplies", acting as an independent agent between the buyers and suppliers to sell any commodity from "pins to elephants". The Bengali word for the enterprise is "dalaal", and Somnath is apprehensive about its disreputable connotation of "pimp". Bishu reassures him by using the more palatable euphemism, "middleman". Soon, he begins to furnish businesses with office stationary and table lamps, and finds an opportunity to sell optical whiteners for a sizable commission. He calls on Mr. Goenka (Soven Lahiri), the chief officer of Kejriwal textile mills, who refuses to make a commitment on the sale. Desperate, Somnath calls on Mr. Mitter (Robi Ghosh), a "public relations specialist" who shadows prospective clients in order to determine their weaknesses. He reports to Somnath that Mr. Goenka is willing to offer him a contract in exchange for the services of a call girl. Somnath is unsettled by the proposition, and defers a decision until the appointed confirmation call from Mr. Goenka on the following afternoon. Returning home, he is greeted by his sweet, understanding sister-in-law, Kamala (Lily Chakravarty), who reassures him of her support, and is left alone to choose between financial gain and moral consequence.

analyze · #14 03-12-2006, 10:45 PM

Summary From other source

The film begins with blatant cheating in the examination hall. Somnath (Pradip Mukherjee), an honest student, finds himself doing badly in the exams due to an overworked examiner, without his glasses who is unable to read his small handwriting. As he is in no position to marry, his girlfriend gets married to someone else due to pressure from her family.

A bright and idealistic young man, Somnath begins search of a job along with his more realistic friend Sukumar (Gautam Chakravarti). With the job market flooded with thousands of hopefuls, Somnath faces some absurd interviews. He gives up his search after an interview in which he asked, 'what is the weight of the moon?' Later, he encounters an older man, the street-smart businessman, Bisuda (Utpal Dutta). On Bisuda's advise, Somnath becomes a middleman, an order supplier paid on commission. His father, an upright middle-class man considers this business to be disgraceful to the family reputation.

Somnath, soon, finds himself earning through petty deals but he is ambitious and wants to grow his enterprise. His friend Sukumar, however, has not had much luck and now works as a taxi driver.

There is chance of Somnath landing up with a big order but the client seems to be in no hurry to sign the deal. An acquaintance, Mr. Mitter, advises him to supply the client with a prostitute to clinch the deal. After much hesitation, he agrees.

They go in search of a prostitute. After visiting two brothels, they finally find a girl. She turns out to be his friend Sukumar's sister. Somnath asks her to take the money and leave, but she is a professional and would not take money with out earning it. Somnath agrees and delivers her to his client's room in a hotel.

He gets the contract but it does not bring him any happiness. Finally, as he enters his family house through a dark door, he is no longer an innocent boy but a corrupt man who has discovered the advantages of corruption.

analyze · #15 03-12-2006, 10:46 PM

Critical Analysis From Film Journals
Satyajit Ray creates a clever, highly engaging satire on capitalism and moral integrity in The Middleman. Using incongruous imagery and lyrical narrative, Ray depicts the hypocrisy of economic prosperity and professional success. Somnath's daily trips to the employment offices invariably take him through city streets riddled with homeless people and beggars, under a graffiti sign that reads: "1971 is the year of victory". Mr. Shaha's (Santosh Dutta) description of a luxurious British colonial mansion is juxtaposed against a hypnotic, frenetic tour of a dilapidated building. Ironically, the potential sale of optical whiteners proves to be Somnath's darkest hour. Note the minimal, candle lit scene where a disillusioned Somnath alludes to his unpalatable task. The Middleman is a fascinating, contemporary parable on the corruption of the human soul, a poignant tale of an idealistic young man who stumbles into a corrupt world outside of his creation, and is swallowed into the chaos.

analyze · #16 03-12-2006, 10:52 PM

This is the final film of trilogy known as the Calcutta Trilogy. The first two were Pratidwandi (The Adversary, 1970) and Seemabaddha (Company Limited, 1971). All the three films study the effect the big city of Calcutta has on the educated youth and the price it extracts from them.

analyze · #17 03-12-2006, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taposhbhai

next movie ta ki? basanta bilap?

I have to download the movie, I guess, before saying anything :BigGrin: about Basanta Bilap

**taposhbhai** · #18 03-12-2006, 11:09 PM

basanta bilap dekhte paro jodi pure bangla comedy pochindo koro :BigGrin:

its somewhat like sarey 74 (uttam movie).

btw ray er chiriya-khana dekhecho naki? ei movie ami khujchi last 6/7 yrs dhore :(

analyze · #19 03-12-2006, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taposhbhai

basanta bilap dekhte paro jodi pure bangla comedy pochindo koro :BigGrin:

its somewhat like sarey 74 (uttam movie).

btw ray er chiriya-khana dekhecho naki? ei movie ami khujchi last 6/7 yrs dhore :(

chidiya khaana dekhi ni aami...
kintu aami ekta ray-er interview porechilam
taate ray ke jiggesh kore which movie of yours, you dislike
he said - chidiyakhana :BigGrin:
Actually chidiyakhana was not supposed to be directed by Satyajit Ray.
He chipped in at the last moment for a friend. I remember him saying that
"who dunnits" never impressed him. :(

analyze · #20 03-12-2006, 11:17 PM

sarey74 amar mone nei... aami uttam kumar movie khub kom dekhechi because aamar bondhu ra je movie gulo bhalo bolto like saptapadi :hiding: :BigGrin: and few others, I didnt liked them at all... And so never dared to cross the fence. However, one movie I liked a lot was Jatugriha starring Uttam Kumar and some actress and Nayak because of impeccable characterisation and tongue-in-cheek dialogues (but much of the credit offcourse goes to Ray)