What kaushik ganguly brings in this poignant tale of human relationships is relevance, I would even go to length to say that it feels somewhat like poetic realism. The characters converse in this film with heavy emotional and realistic undertones simultaneously, which is a remarkable achievement. People in real life don't talk like his characters do, despite the dialogues not seeming heavy-handed.
Kaushik Ganguly's film could have easily fallen into a melodramatic trap owing to the story it deals with but he skillfully avoids it with a measured and mature screenplay. The way he creates emotional turmoil, guilt, anguish, and anger among the characters is what makes the film an engrossing watch. The intimate frames, the cautious and sensitive camera movements, atmospheric lighting of scenes make almost every scene meaningful. The contrast of characters between Churni and Jaya makes their interaction scenes brimming with brilliance. The still relevant social disadvantages of being a woman in a patriarchal society are brought upon sensitively, it doesn't have a preachy tone,rather it comes off quite organically. Despite dealing with such a serious issue, the film has its humorous moments which are so beautifully placed and staged, that it doesn't seem feel to forcefully fed in.
The writing also makes space for crucial supporting characters. They don't feel like catalysts for the leads to go on, be it Damini Benny Basu or Kaushik Sen or Ambarish Bhattacharya, or Lily Chakravorty. The relationship between a wife and mother-in-law has rarely been shown in Bengali films this way as this one does, one of my glorious takeaways from this film. All the female characters here are written with a true sense of feminism, what it is supposed to be. You don't have to belittle anyone to make another person superior. Despite being a social commentary against our society, it doesn't blame anyone, the film tells us through various ways not to lose humanity and not to engulf ourselves in egoistic tendencies.
The performances are top-class, Jaya Ahsaan and Churni Ganguly are mavericks, its difficult to choose the better performer between them. Churni's acute command of her skills clashes with Jaya's undeniable screen presence and range. Lily Chakravarty's role is also written brilliantly and she acts like a true veteran. Ambarish's role also speaks for his performance, he has made his presence felt every time whenever he is in. Kaushik Sen and Damini Benny Basu also impress in their brief but remarkable appearances.
Ganguly's last two films have suffered a second-half debacle, which I also feared from this film. But Ardhangini gets more intense after the interval as the complications increase and many perspectives come into the light. The first twenty-thirty minutes of the film tests your patience and the narrative remains flat during that period and could have been trimmed shorter.
The music sometimes feels overburdened in some scenes but it gets better as the film progresses.
A true human drama delivered by one of the finest filmmakers of Bengal with very few hiccups.
