Shob Charitro Kalponik

Ask any outside observer of Indian cinema, even in the hey day of Bollywood, about Bengali film and the bright ones will still come to a halt after Satajit Ray.

Well that was then and this slow moving thoughtful drama is a different animal and a also a distance from the Hindi Cinema which is creeping into multiplexes.

The so gorgeous Miss Basu is sorting out her recollections of her dead poet husband, who neglected the finance needed to run the home to the point where the motherly maid went without food, and seemed more interested in cricket on TV than their relationship. Will she make it with the associate who was a fan of the husband to the point of having a seven foot photo mural made of his face? Lots of lingering 'scope scenics and curious anatomical close ups. It's kind of self defeating because whatever they are trying to say takes careful analytical thinking, while the solemn pacing encourages the viewer to drift of.

You don't watch this movie, you feel it. You don't hear the poetry in this movie, you adore it. Such was Rituparno's Shob Charitro kalponik.

The dual life of a poet cut deep retrospective in his other half's life soon after he passes off. The wife suddenly realises that her husband seemed a different person now that he is gone. He is not her husband, not the poet, but he is his poetry, or who is he?

It's not just spectacular, you will ponder deeply who we are, after watching this beautiful piece.

After 'Abohomaan' the last Ghosh film that I saw, my expectations for 'Shob Choritro Kalponik' were quite low. More so because it had Bipasha Basu in the lead. Not that I have anything against Ms. Basu, I just think she's an average actress at best. Now I'm glad I saw the movie because Ghosh's film is about coming to terms with loss. I wouldn't say it's about grieving as it would appear to be but it's more about the loss of love in a marriage, the loss of opportunity, the loss of faith, the loss of oneself and the loss of a loved one. Thankfully 'Shob Choritro Kalponik' does not ramble on about these subjects but rather explores them from Radha's point of view. Ghosh beautifully infuses poetry and metaphors against photographic visuals. Many of the wonderful poems have nostalgic value. The cast is very good. Bipasha Basu delivers her finest performance so far (even though there are a few sequences where she struggles to emote right). Prosenjit is competent as Radha's husband who knows nothing but poetry. Jishu Sengupta is passable. Sohag Sen is terrific as Radha's maid and housekeeper. 'Shob Choritro Kalponik' is a journey into Radha's world where she is living as a working wife but she's also lost somewhere in search of significance. Ghosh has once again satisfied his viewer and I for one am pleased to see that he's back on track.

Shob Charitro Kalponik is a visually poetic film that drifts through memory, love, and loss - but beneath the lyrical aesthetics lies a frustrating emotional core that never quite reckons with itself.

The story revolves around Radhika (Bipasha Basu), a woman caught between reality and imagination as she reflects on her emotionally distant husband Indranil (Prosenjit Chatterjee), a poet lost in his own world. While the film tries to explore the delicate tragedy of a misunderstood artist, it ends up doing something far more troubling: it romanticizes emotional neglect.

Indranil is portrayed as a poetic genius, but his complete disregard for Radhika's emotional needs, financial stability, and personal sacrifices is never truly challenged. He doesn't grow, apologize, or even acknowledge the toll his absence has taken on her. Instead, the film asks us to grieve for his absence as if he were a tragic figure, not a man who willfully ignored his partner.

What's most frustrating is that the film wraps this emotional failure in soft lighting, slow motion, and poetic monologues - as if melancholy itself justifies everything. But neglect isn't beautiful. And turning a woman's emotional labor into background music for a man's artistic ego doesn't make it deep - it makes it dishonest.

The performances are solid, especially Bipasha Basu's subtle grief and quiet resilience. The cinematography is stunning. But the film leaves a bitter aftertaste because it refuses to confront the emotional truth at its center. It doesn't ask hard questions. It just floats in aesthetic sadness.

If you're looking for a film that truly wrestles with love, loneliness, and the artist's role in relationships, you may want to look elsewhere. Shob Charitro Kalponik is beautiful on the surface - but emotionally, it hides behind its poetry.

Despite having the very old legends as Bharat Bhushan and Guru Dutt, very few movies are made in our country depicting the life of a poet - and this film is a Citizen Kane version of it. The beautiful poems are written by the great Joy Goswami himself. Other than that, the art direction did superb work here - camera and editing is be grand as usual. And, one more time, kudos to the dubbing department. Even though the leading lady, Bipasha Basu, knew bengali well and latter complained that "Rituda" could have given a chance her to speak :D.