Obhishopto Nighty (2014)
This movie is essentially, what in Bangla, we know as 'Machar Natok', i.e. the kind of plays/stand-up comedies you see in college functions/freshers/re-unions with lots of unintentional technical glitches, bad acting and hilarious goof-ups, but you love them if they are well-written. This movie is a mash-up of the kind of skits you see on stage or say in the comedy shows on television.
Kudos to the director for his guts for a) choosing to bring this 'Machar Natok' on screen and b) trying to make an intentionally 'unintentionally hilarious' movie.
There is intentional bad/loud acting, bad editing, absolutely meaningless plots and that also split into numerous chapters and timelines, just to connect the several scenes which are funny in themselves and thankfully funny enough you wouldn't care how they are connected.
If you start nit-picking this movie will be outright offensive to everyone: it's sexist, racist, makes fun of gays, fat women dressed up in nighties and what-not! And to be true there were scenes which I could not comprehend as well and what I thought it meant I just couldn't believe (For instance, seriously what was that thing with the weird 'Shim-bichi kot-kot'!!!) But I say again, this is exactly what happens in college plays. It's Absurd with a capital A and trust me... has no deeper meaning. I mean, if you start looking for 'Surrealism' everywhere, then might I suggest you 'Himmatwala': the deeply surreal and layered movie... This movie might be some satire on some level, a very vague level, but that is not the purpose of the movie for me.
If unsophisticated, unintelligent jokes, riddled with infinitely many innuendos (that are weird, sad, sexual and even repulsive at times) is not your kind of humour, stay away. But if you do, lap it up.
Well, I thrive in stupid puns and lame jokes and 'Macha' is not just a stage, it is a Culture to me: the culture I celebrate every moment of my life in Jadavpur University. So I simply loved it. And I am planning to watch it again.
But, I have to say, making an intentionally 'unintentionally hilarious' movie is extremely difficult, my friend! And there were so many ways this movie could have been bettered. There are moments which drag, where you feel it's too loud for your taste, but thankfully before that feeling sets in any deeper there is some outrageously funny sequence which will jolt you awake! That is why despite the many many many flaws, I have to acknowledge that this is the first of its kind in an an Indian Movie. There has been no such absolute nonsensical, absurd, yet weirdly funny 'Macha' movie ever before in India. And I do sincerely feel that because Birsa is only the director of this movie, I cannot say this is not his movie. This movie truly belongs to Debaloy Bhattacharya, whose story, dialogues and screenplay it is. And he gets the brownies!!!
Statutory Warning: This movie will ruin Tagore Songs for you. For life.
