X = Prem

Fantastic romantic plot, with a science fictional twist.

Stunning performances by Anindya Sengupta, Shruti Das, and the other members of the cast.

Excellent songs by Sahana, Shreya and Samantak, intensified by the respective sequences.

Cinematography and monochromatic color palette top notch.

A modern day story on unrequited love. Some plot holes here and there, but overall a much better attempt than his recent movies by Srijit Mukherjee. And the soundtrack is amazing.

Yes, Dr. Kaufman, I have seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In fact, it's one of my favourite films; right up there with Being John Malkovich and Synecdoche, New York. Having said that, X=Prem neither emulates nor plagiarises Charlie Kaufman's work. Rather, it creates a world of its own - a diorama of love-stricken characters.

It's not the story that works. It's the characters and their almost impeccable portrayal. Given the premise, the clichés, a few forced plot points and a somewhat predictable, flat ending, making the characters both believable and relatable is a feat in itself.

Arnab and Aditi stand out. So profound, so nuanced, so moving. Arjun Chakraborty's performance takes the cake. Madhurima Basak both looks and plays her part to the T. Even though I don't fully like how Joyee and Khilat have been written, Shruti Das and Anindya Sengupta look so good together.

I've been thinking about this film for some time now; unlike the filmmaker's other works (except Nirbaak, maybe?).

Special mention: "Priyo Jhhor" and the music.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

X=Prem, directed by Srijit Mukherjee, revolves around the lives of Joyee (played by Shruti Das) and Khilat (played by Anindya) who have recently met with a fatal accident resulting in Khilat losing 10 years from his life. The film showcases their journey of getting back the memory.

Positives :

SRIJIT MUKHERJEE - After very long time I could finally see the Srijit I've always been the fan of! The magic that he has presented in this film is mesmerizing! Kudos to his flawless direction!

ACTING - Anindya and Shruti both are very promising debutantes! Didn't felt even for a second that its there first film or they're acting! All the very best for your future endeavors! Looking forward to see you guys in more projects! Apart from these two, Arjun who played Arnab dutta & Madhurima who played Aditi did absolute justice with the characters given. Even though they had a smaller screentime but they do impress you.

STORY - The writers and Svf should be applauded for bringing such content! One of the best stories! Congratulations to the writer/writers who wrote such an engaging script.

Cinematography - This film is just beautifully shot! I just love the camera work in this film. So aesthetic and well presented!

MUSIC - The best album of the decade straight away. I'm just out of words to describe how beautiful the songs of the film are! So well written, sung and used! Mind blowing job!

Negative :

THE SCIENCE - Though its explained and everything but somewhere its not much into consideration. What made them aware of such a process? And maybe 1-2 more questions are still unclear in your head.

OVERALL - A must must watch! And definitely not just a one time watch because you will fall in love with the film!

Story is nice and to some extent, it also has a hint of innovation. But that's all. There is a part of sci-fi which was pathetically handled. There is fake romanticism everywhere which is far from reality. After certain time, the story looks boring and aimless. In addition to these, there are hell lot of creepy and cheesy dialogues which make things worse. After a certain time I was hoping it to end. Not expected from a director of this caliber. This took 2 hours of my life which is never going to come back.

Arjun Chakraborty and Shruti Das was good in acting. But Anindya Sen's (as Khilat) acting was going over the line again and again.