चित्रांगदा

This genre required as much a subtle love that only Ang Lee could as it required the dramatic turmoils that only Rituparno Ghosh could bring on screen. It's an all time best of the genre, at par with Brokeback Mountain if not beyond .

A contemporary adaptation of Tagore's dance drama of the same name. People accuse this to be semi autobiographical too, but I think this is the best slow burn of his entire filmography. Ghosh acted here as lead; a theatre director with many internal and external struggles in his life, family and work. And the two supporting leads - Anjan Dutt and Jishu Sengupta - did very well to fit in the story which is actually about the lead. I suggest to read a little about Ghosh's life and the actual play before watching this multi layered film.

If you appreciate beautiful cinematography and don't care all that much about the screenplay or dialogue, you might like this movie. It's one of the last movies of director Rituporno Ghosh and he's also plays the main protagonist, Rudra, present in nearly every frame. One of the obvious problems with the film is that it's hard to relate to Rudra, who is an unpleasant tragedy queen, though we are told people think of him as vivacious. As a transgender person he imperiously rides roughshod over the other characters in the film, in a truly cringe-worthy way. He is, by turns, bitter, angry and whiny and quite a pain to watch for 140 minutes. One assumes Rituporno wanted viewers to empathize with the transgender cause, but it works in reverse. The dialogue is half in Bengali and half in English, which is rather jarring. On the good side, the film is visually very appealing, especially the scenes shot on the beach and the dance-drama being rehearsed on stage.

'Chitrangada - a crowning wish!' Chitrangada is a story of wish. The film correlates the real materialistic daily life with Tagore's Chitrangada. Our identity is our wish which we can choose. Likewise you can choose your gender. The philosophy is ground to the earth but at highest level of thinking. The movie is very out of the box, as always like other movies of the Rituparno Ghosh.

Rabindranath Tagore was motivated with the character Chitrangada from Mahabharata. He modifies the character and gives a rebirth into a different Chitrangada. The character became an identity wisher. Chitrangada was the princess of the Manipura. She was born phenotypically female. Although a boon from Lord Shiva to the king of the empire was the royal family will only have sons to keep the heir. So the king considered Chitrangada as son. And taught her all warrior and masculine attitudes. At one very particular day of monsoon when Chitrangada was at the forest for hunting, the Arjuna came to Manipur continuing is Brahmacharya. He saw her fighting like a man and he was very impressed and ingrained. But when Chitrangada saw Arjun she got melted into! That scenario turn her wish to love Arjun. So her wish to become a proper beautified woman! The lord of sex gave her boons and she turned into a very attractive and appealing woman. They loved each other but the king of Manipur did not allow their offspring (son) to not to go to the Empirer of Arjuna. This is the story of Chitrangada!

In real life we sometimes feel of making ourself to become more masculine or more feminine. Think about the other way around. It is not unnatural that you don't feel sometimes to switch your sexual identity. Chitrangada is conditioned to be a man! But she turned herself into woman! Our nature makes us very ourself and very natural. Story in reality demands the same. But we can not really accept the truth! Although the constrained reasons are not really defined. At the end, the film says its your wish how would you wish to be!

A definitely must watch movie to take society to a different level of essence!

Chitrangada is a character of Indian mythology, who was born as a girl but raised as a man. She didn't know that she was a woman. Chitrangada met Arjun in the forest and seeing him, she 'wishes' to be a woman.

Rituporno Ghosh based his movie on this context. We see him playing the main role. I always find Rituporno's movies so distinct and beautiful. This one touched me even more.

A good movie is what you don't watch, you experience. And I did. The opening gave me a thrill with the dance play and the Tagore music playing on the background.

A bit of Tagore, a bit of mythology and Rituporno in his best- glued me to the screen.