Paanch Adhyay

I saw the film at SAIFF and it just blew me away. Here's a little something I wrote about Paanch Adhyay. Debut director Gupta proves that a film can thrive only with its content, and its technical aspects. Moreover, I don't remember a single Indian film in the recent past that has only two major characters pulling off the entire film only through their nuanced performances. Priyanshu Chatterjee and Dia Mirza could not have asked for meatier and meaningful roles. Priyanshu captures Arindam's dilemma, his pains and his angst in his beautiful eyes. Dia Mirza delivers her best performance. The moment Ishita reveals her secret to Arindam is perhaps one of the finest performances of Mirza, elegant and graceful, effortless yet ethereal. Her Bengali diction is way better than many of her Bollywood counterparts. Apart from the sensitive story (Pratim D. Gupta) aided by heart-wrenching performances, Paanch Adhyay needs to be praised for its music and its magical cinematography. Santanu Moitra's harmony reaches its apotheosis in Subha Mudgal and Swanand Kirkire's renditions of Ure Jay and Uda Jaye placed strategically in the second and the third chapters of the film, capturing the glorified solitude and loneliness of Arindam and Ishita. Agantuk and Baavri are equally impressive. Ananda Chakroborty, the DOP of the film, weaves a magical saga through his sepia tones and aesthetic use of gray shades keeping the 'tension' taut. Bengalis can't do without either Tagore or Satyajit Ray, and audience today, can't take the 'tension' for too long. Such comments from Hrishi da (Soumitro Chatterjee in a cameo) echo the sources of inspiration for Gupta's debut. Paanch Adhyay definitely meanders around a 'Tagoreana and a Ray gharana that is so deep rooted that one cannot ignore the traces; and the 113 minutes of the film is an ode to Arghakamal Mitra's editing skills. At one point of time in the movie, Arindam (Priyanshu Chatterjee) asks his wife Ishita (Dia Mirza), "is that you?" He was referring to the perfume she had used, which somehow seemed to him new and 'strong'. But the essence of the choric question lies in the fact that the perfume is just a pretext; we fail to know the person next to us, even years after staying together. Pratim D. Gupta's debut shines in the eloquence of sublime silence. Silence, which builds up the tension between the married couple and silence that is beautiful. A promising plot, subtle literary angles, minimalistic use of characters, musical rhapsodies, commendable cinematography and a crafted finesse make Paanch Adhyay a lyrical montage of sounds, sights and colours, not lacking an iota of soul in this modern tragedy.

Scandal concerning the making of Ray's CHARULATA. Madhabi Mukherjee, who plays Charu, fell in love with Ray. What actually happened (it is said that in India one can have an affair without physical contact) I don't know, but Madhabi's husband forbade her to work with Ray again. This story, according to my friend Mr. Nair, has become an obsession in Bengali cinema ever since. including Ritoparno Ghosh;s ABOHONOM (2010).

Now, in the first film by Pratim D. Gupta, PAANCH ADHYAY (aka AFTERGLOW, 2012), film director Rajat is so distracted by a beautiful teacher who passes by that he forgets he is making a TV commercial. They marry and she becomes pregnant, but loses the child. Rajat in turn falls in love with the actress in his next film, whom he even refers to as Charu. So he has his secret and his wife has one also. They decide to tell each other their secrets against the glowing background of beautiful Howrah Bridge at night,Min very expensive clothes, she in a blue (get the symbolism?) sari.

Rajat convinces her to tell her secret first: she is to die of ovarian cancer in two months, and that's why she lost the child. On hearing this, Rajat says that his secret is no longer important. The last days of the couple together are spent making the best of their situation -- vacations, dinners in fancy restaurants, etc. After the wife's death, Rajat and Charu have coffee together, and Rajat tells his Charu that in those last days he had learned to love his wife more than ever, and that there is no longer a future for this new romance. After he leaves, the actress picks up his coffee cup with trembling hands and drinks its dredges. As a further indication that this is an ode to the CHARULATA backstory, Soumitra Chatterjee appears in a bit part as a character named Harish-da, from whom Rajat seeks advice.

Paanch Adhyay is a montage of colours, sound and visuals. With a beautiful pair, and a sensitive storyline, Pratim D. Gupta's debut is sheer poetry on screen. Dia Mirza and Priyanshu have their best roles ever. Shantanu Moitra weaves a magical saga. Sampurna, however disappoints. Tagore, Frost, 'Mrs. Dalloway', 'Sweet Rush' and the deja vu of Uttam Kumar's Arindam pervade throughout the film. So do traces of Swanand Kirkire and Subha Mudgal's versions of 'Ure Jay', long after the chapters close. And that Soumitra Chatterjee scene is legendary. A rare Bengali film which has the grandiosity of a big Bollywood film yet strong on content. A must watch!