Reviews

After hectic days of workload, boredom and frustration about vain expectations from the World Cup, here is the perfect feel-good recipe for all in the form of a visual treat, as director Pratim D. Gupta returns almost a year after on the big screen with a bag full of warmth and heartfelt emotions, labelled "Ahare Mon".

The film comprises four different journeys of love between people of various walks of life. These include- a romantic saga between an Immigration Officer and a woman who often goes on tours; an elderly man who earnestly tries to help out a woman, both of whom live in an old-age home; a sweet and humorous love tale between two hustlers; and an innocent, ailing young girl fantasizing about an on-screen superstar. The stories have a far-fetched connection, with a touching twist at the end, which the audience will have to find out at the theatres.

Frankly speaking, the film is very well made. The direction of Pratim D. Gupta has certainly become more polished and this film is a symbolic of that. The visual cuts by Soumik Halder are captivating and the editing has been smartly done. The balanced script and screenplay both deserve applauds as they ensure that the cinema never becomes sloppy. In fact, the parallel running of the stories have been so well managed that you never find shortage of interest in the film. Several times, one story shifts to another just after an intriguing dialogue has been spilled; or, right after a sequence of high emotions we have a humorous episode of the hustlers trying to steal something from the shelves of a shop, which keeps the energy of the film intact. We had found this quality of storytelling of the director in his 2016 film "Shaheb Bibi Golaam" as well, which has developed significantly.

The biggest takeway of this film is definitely the brilliant acting of the ensemble cast. Anjan Dutt, playing Mr. Barun Sarkar- the man with a heart of gold, is simply a treat to watch. It is a completely different avatar of Dutt, which the Bengali audience has probably never experienced. Each scene he is a part of, stays in your memory forever and you only hope that he doesn't leave the screen. Especially the two scenes where he sings "Ami Chini Go Chini Tomare" and the scene at Shiraz Restaurant where he is relishing on the meat preparation, he looks stunning. It is another graceful performance of this veteran actor, who seems to be on a roll this year. So is Mamata Shankar as Charulata Debi, who is in search of a man she had met 25 years ago. Special mention must be made of Adil Hussain, who plays the Immigration Officer Mr. Purnendu Pahari with great elan. He doesn't talk much; his eyes convey all emotions he wishes to express. From the first scene of the film his naturalism is brought out and that adds to the film's flavour. Same goes for Ritwick Chakraborty and Parno Mitra, who play the two fun-loving hustlers Michael Tendulkar and Suzie Q ("Shujee",as the subtitles suggest!). Ritwick once again proves that he can fill the boots of any character and do full justice to it. Their inclusion was probably to add humour to this drama, and here too, the director has scored full points. Also not to forget to mention the seasoned Paoli Dam a.k.a 'Madam Ramona' and the newcomer Chitrangada Chakraborty, who plays the ailing girl, Titli. The innocent looks on her face do complete justice to the character, who is madly in love with Tollywood's Superstar Dev. In fact, the presence of Dev on screen for just a couple of minutes was quite a gracious one, as it was anticipated by the audience. The other memebrs of the cast also deerve credit for their performances, ensuring that the film was in sync with reality. Last, but not the least, Neel Dutt's background score was a fitting one for this film, with emotions and characterisation being brought out in each story by the music itself. "Monta Ahare" the only song used in the film, written by Srijit Mukherji, composed by Neel Dutt and sung by Durnibar Saha, played an important role in depicting the progress of each story.

Thus, in a nutshell, "Ahare Mon" is a film which is certainly not to be missed. It is graceful mingle of unusual stories of love and romanticism brought out in the form of a collage that is in sync with reality of life. Several themes of social life has been brought up using the backdrop of romance, with wide dynamism and optimism. The optimistic view of "Hope" and celebration of the "elixir of life" has also been brought out pretty well in this film. As the director puts it: #AhareMon is a tribute to all those who have "waited to love" and "loved to wait"....I would call it a must-watch film for all ages.

Well, the trailer and the 32-minute audio soundtrack had surely aroused a lot of expectations about the film and the numerous interviews and concerts perfromed by the "Dutt"s had put the 13th April release on the pedestal tagged "must-watch". And it is heartening to see Anjan dutt's brilliant return to his favourite genreof making musical dramas, this time with a subtle touch of common affairs of today's world.

The story revolves around seven lives and the crisis each of them face as they walk ahead in life. "Crisis" is perhaps the catchword here. Almost everyone today has some problem or the other, no matter how successful one might be in one's proffesional life. Crisis is not only in Syria but also in our minds and people around us. Likewise, the characters shown in this film also have their personal problems- a young girl who has been raped and is consequently, amidst a court case as well as psychological trauma; a higly successful lawyer who is on the verge of losing a case for the first time and hence is agonized; a daughter who has a bitter relationship with her mother and is leading a frustated life; An aspiring singer with all odds against him; a middle-aged separated man mostly absorbed in liquor, and others, who are associated to their lives by some connection. The protagonist here is of course, music. Songs from an "unknown, unheard songwriter" gradually enters the lives of these people and enables them in overcoming their crisis. They come in accidentally, as if the messengers of "good time" and hope of survival. How that happens and how music acts as a healing touch, forms the crux of the story. The story thus, is a cobweb of relationships, some being bitter and some, sweet. All the incidents shown are relevant in today's world and the audience can easily connect themselves with the characters. There are several high points of the film, the foremost being the apt use of music. Indeed much has already been said about the songs previously-which talk of daily chores, human miseries along with the hope of returnig. to the loved ones, returning to one's roots and about our nostalgic memories that bring sadness and melancholy to our hearts. The songs are not made for the film, yet they are so well introduced that none of them seem to be forced in. The songs are placed according to the mood of the film's proceedings and become even more emphatic along with the film. Even the background score is in sync with the incidents shown on screen- showing the musical intellect of Neel Dutt. Another highpoint is definitely, the acting department. Anjan Dutt (playing Ranojoy) has again proven himself as an actor; he is as natural on screen as he is outside of it. This can be deemed as one of his best performances, after those in Chitrangada, Dutta vs Dutta and Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona. Swastika too, as always has dished out a fine performance as an extremley career-oriented woman who is initially shown to be devoid of emotions. another person who should be mentioned is Anindya chatterjee, the man carrying the wave of music throughout the story. It is another brilliant performance of this young actor after playing a negative character in 'Asche Abar Shabor' and looks very fresh in the film. The scenes showing paternal emotions between Ranojoy and him are simply treats to watch. Kaushik Sen, Souraseni Maitra and newcomer Darshana Banik are also quite good in their portrayals. Further, Gairik Sarkar's cinematography adds to the beauty of the film; however, his play with colours in "Byomkesh O Agniban" was, too some extent, missed. Thus, the film has been successful in stirring up emotions in the hearts of the audience. It reminds us that although we may be facing difficulties and crisis in our lives, we must not lose faith and hope of moving ahead. It is true that bad times come in our lives but they come on a temporary basis. It is here that music helps us to rejuvinate ourselves and sooth our minds. At tines of despair, music can overcome the melancholy and make us merry. Here we see a girl getting back the spirit of moving ahead with optimism on hearing her boyfriend singing "aami ashbo phirey tomar paraye" and thereby deciding to step out and enjoy life again. Complexity is simply a state of mind; we can make things simple for us if we intend to do so. We might not accept changes or the breaking of rules, but when we realise its necessity we give in. For instance, parents often do not realise the needs and aspirations of their children and tend to impose their dreams on them to achieve, forgetting the passion and liking of the child, leading to a crisis. Result? the child goes astray and tends to be unkind to other people around him, making him unsuitable for a social life. but music can help him to change. All these aspects have been aptly and subtly shown in this film, making it an epitome of the "filmmaker" Anjan Dutt. The reason for its appreciation primarily lies in the fact that the movie deals with "music-listeners" and not the makers, making it much relatable with our common lives.

Having said much, l would request all to watch "Aami Ashbo Phirey" - a film that will surely move you and strike a chord in your hearts. And big thanks to Anjan Dutt , Neel Dutt and SVF for a wonderful "Poila baisakh" present. Whether the work is a masterpiece might be debatable, one can surely say that #AamiAshboPhirey will always be remembered in the history of bengali cinema.

Footnote: The revelation of the "unknown unheard" songwriter is a sort of a climax of this film, which, I feel, has a close relation with the making of the music album of this film.