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Here's my take on Chhalaang - that has just been released on Amazon prime. Chhalaang comes from the stable of Hansal Mehta who apart from several other TV shows and films is specially regarded for his solid cerebral stuff in Aligarh and Shahid. Chhalaang revolves around an accidental sports teacher, played by his long time muse Rajkumar Rao, whose inability to persevere beyond a point, has been his undoing for a good part of his growing up years. Chhalaang is all about that "leap" that he eventually takes to prove himself - to his lady love.... and beyond!

The narrative follows a predictable pattern that a lot or successful Bollywood sports films have done in recent past - however in essence, in several ways it is closest to Prakash Jha's debut venture Hip Hip Hurray. While there is a feel good factor to any such sports movie with a poetic justice, the movie never manages to create the cinematic impact that outdoor action scenes especially in the climax stages manage to offer. What probably stands out for the film though, is some simple yet effective social messaging that Mehta manages to infuse in an otherwise run down genre - especially one on one between Saurabh Shukla and Ila arun, in my opinion, is a high point in the film. Beyond these the storyline, imo has several jarring notes which look rather bizarre, but I would leave that to the ultimate judgement of the viewers.

Rajkumar Rao, who has been growing by leaps and bounds as an actor, once again impresses. He delivers the transformation of his character rather effortlessly and provides several rich moments for his fans. Two masters of situational comedy Satish Kaushik and Saurabh Shukla play important roles to keep the film alive. Ila Arun as the principal of the school is just about okie. The extremely charming Nusrat Bharucha playing the female lead to Rajkumar Rao struggles to gel in, though one can make out that she tries quite hard. Jatin Sarna and Zeeshan Ayub play their roles well.

Overall Chlalaang, though not disappointing, somewhat flatters to deceive. It however is still a very good watch for a lazy Sunday afternoon that can ensure a very positive start to the week. If you are a parent whose kid is showing a promise in sports it has got a strong message at the end!!

Feluda is Back - and back with a BANG!

The much awaited web series on one of the most celebrated characters in Bengali literature came alive on TV screens on Christmas and as is expected of every diehard Feluda fan, despite being on a vacation, I managed to binge watch it - and here's my take on Season 1. "Feluda Pherot" is Srijit Mukherjee's maiden attempt at bringing Feluda to screen. Interestingly, one of the earliest full fledged directorial ventures of Srijit, while still at Bangalore was a play by the same title, at the historical Ranga Shankara and with Parambrata in the lead, that was extremely well received. The choice to stick to the same title for his web series therefore, has to be more than just a coincidence! Season 1 is based on "Chinnomostar Obhishaap" (The curse of the Goddess in the translated version in English) and is set in late 70s at Rajrappa near Hazaribagh in Bihar (now Jharkhand). The story in my personal opinion is one of the most iconic creations of Ray. Chinnamasta as a unqiue form of Shakti is a mystical concept in Hindu mythology that interestingly also finds resonance in Buddhist scripts. The supposedly 6000+ year old temple at Rajrappa is considered to be a close second to Kamakhya in its tantric significance and despite its not-so-easy-access finds serious religious & academic tourists from all over the world. Hazaribagh used to be a summer retreat and/or retirement destinations of prosperous Bengalis of Kolkata for its weather, rustic natural beauty and for its rich wildlife (read Royal Bengal Tiger!) and the folklores around the (in)famous Tatijhatriya forests . Ray's genius amalgamates all these aspects into a spine chilling adventure - as Feluda along with his two confidantes try unravelling parallel mysteries of a Royal Bengal tiger having escaped from a circus and a septuagenerian's cryptic clues at his deathbed regarding his son who has been incommunicado for 10 years . At hindsight, its rather surprising that no one thought of bringing this potent story to the screen earlier and the director needs to be specifically lauded for having made an eclectic pick. Srijit Mukherjee, a Feluda fanboy himself has chosen to stay absolutely true to the original story. People who have eaten, drank and absorbed the Feluda stories will get an emphatic feel of déjà vu as Srijit has pretty much cellulodified the cellulose - and is sure to have most (if not all) of them swooning for more! Srijit is arguably the most celebrated and decorated director in Tollywood today and he needs to be called out for being able to refrain from adapting the narrative to his statements. There is only one dialogue that talks about the dangers of overzealous interpretation(s) of religion that he has slipped in but that is just a byline and does not dilute anything. His signature plays with the color palletes and his trademark one - on - one encounters in screenplays do appear once in a while but he seems to have judiciously and consciously stayed away from lending a "creative" touch to influence the narrative. A significant contributor for the overall impact of Feluda Pherot is its casting. Tota looks to have come straight out of the sketches of Ray. His diction, appearance and mannerisms pretty much reflect "Pradosh C Mitter". Even while keeping in mind that Tota has extremely big shoes to fill, I am willing to stick my neck out to say that Srijit and Tota have shown enough promise to create the next popular "Feluda" after Soumitra and Sabyasachi. Anirban Chakrabarti, as expected, has been refreshingly impressive as Jataayu. Kalpan Mitra as Topshe has been a bit of a disappointment and I am still wondering if Srijit has purposely kept Topshe a bit on the sidelines in Season 1. I guess we will be answered when we see Kalpan next in season 2 as the adventure at Kathmandu has the character of Topshe playing a more important role. All in the supporting cast look to have been thoughtfully cast and have played out their parts very well. Two performances however stand a little taller - Dhritiman Chatterjee (Mahesh Choudhury) as the erudite and cryptic patriarch breaking up from within due to his guilt consciousness and the veteran Arun Guhathakurta (Akhil babu) as the benevolent astrologer cum Ayurveda practitioner to Mahesh Choudhury. The latter in fact plays a gem of an innings which also sadly turned out to be his last. I hope the thespian is smiling from the heavens above; happy to have been part of a production that is bound to live through the sands of time. Feluda Pherot's opening music as well as the overall soundscapes have had a pivotal role to play. Keeping Ray's epic signature tune intact, Joy Sarkar & Srijato have created a charming opener. Srijato in particular has penned a song which is not something we typically see of him and hence deserves a lot of credit. Despite being on a binge watching spree, it was nearly impossible to skip the opener as it manages to give you goosebumps every single time. Rupankar Bagachi, Rupam Islam & Anupam Roy need to be complimented for infusing the right dose of nostalgia into their renditions. The background score has been used with subtle variations in intensity to specifically enhance the impact remarkably well at critical moments in the narrative. Summing up, Feluda Pherot is a Santa's Xmas gift for all Bong cinelovers and definitely a treat for all the Feluda fans. More importantly with the directorial genius of Srijit and the near prefect casting of Tota, I would like to believe it to be a harbinger of sumptuous Feluda spreads being served om screens in not so distant future. I shall eagerly wait for the action in Kathmandu and beyond!

#feludapherot #srijitmukherjee #feluda #jataayu #chinnomostarobhishaap #thecurseofthegoddess #hazaribagh #rajrappa #joysarkar #srijato #anirbanchakrabarti #dhritiman #arunguhathakurta

My take on "Rossogolla" the movie The much awaited biopic on Nobin Chandra Das, the inventor of the "Rossogolla" hit the screens yesterday. The timing of the movie is rather significant as it comes in the backdrop of the "bitter sweet" tussle for the GI tag for Bengali Rossogolla and also coincides with the 150 years of the epic invention. To set the expectations right, it needs to be said right at the onset that Rossogolla is a commercial feature and not a strict biopic. The script has therefore leveraged the creative license available to a storyteller to play facts with a healthy dose of imagination, to weave the intended impact. The film has debutants Ujaan Ganguly (son of extremely talented and well read Kaushik and Churni Ganguly) and Abantika in the lead and they make a lively pair. Both of them had a formidable task at hand. Ujaan plays the legendary confectioner Nobin Chandra Das, a simple 20 something from the mid 19th century with meagre means but a steely resolve. Abantika plays Khirod

• first a 16 year livewire with a temper to match and later the loving and spirited wife of Nobin. As newcomers Ujaan and Abantika come out with flying colors. Abantika gets into the character as if she is an incarnation of Khirode...playing it with an amazing ease...you hardly feel she is "acting". As audience, you fall in love with her within the first few minutes and its to her immense credit that we start pining for her presence repeatedly. Ujaan has a wider canvas of character to sketch and his effort does look a bit labored at times - but to be fair to him, does a remarkable job of seizing the critical moments. His spontaneous jig every time there is a moment to celebrate, looks innocently cute.

Most in the important support casts are relative heavyweights and do adequate justice to their characterization(s). Rajatava Dutta plays Kalidas Indra to near perfection. Bidipta as Nobin Das' doting yet strong willed mother looks most natural. Kharaj Mukherjee, as a Hindi speaking confectionery worker Mahesh looks effortlessly convincing - as he so often does. Shantilal plays a short yet stunning role as Baikuntha. Kaushik Sen, with a total screentime of barely 3 mins makes his mark. Music plays an important part in the overall narrative...and the impact of the Late Kalikaprasad is overarching. All of us who have been witness to transformation of Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa into a rich and eclectic musical panorama under the amazing scholarly, yet immensely creative tutelage of Late "Kalika da" are bound to find their eyes swell with timeless memories, as you see his magic unfolding in Rossogolla. His extremely detailed work on architecting a soundscape so integral to the storyline needs to be saluted. The opening Fakiri song "Khodar Banda" rendered by Arko is breathtaking and so is Tapur Tupur. Tapur tupur also needs to be lauded for its "lyrics from the heart" and its warm visuals. Director Pavel has done a good job and has done an even better job as the co-scriptwriter along with Smaranjit. There are moments which are a little too melodramatic and overbearing but probably will have takers in the gallery - as was evident by the spontaneous claps by a section of the gathering at the premiere. The "sets" is an area that remains somewhat under-leveraged. Mid 19th century Kolkata was a great opportunity to create a "period" magic to augment the impact; in contrast the setting at times look a little "put on" and the backdrops created to extend the ambience are not adequately seamless at times. Windows films should be credited for encouraging a young promising director and blooding a debutant lead pair in a film that by virtue of the subject alone, will find a place in the annals of Bengali cinema. A sharper editing could have probably glued us more, but, keeping the finer points aside, the film is immensely successful in creating an indelible impact with the story of blood and sweat that went in to create "Rossogolla" - arguably the national sweet of India. The magnanimity of Nobin Chandra Das to have consciously stayed away from commercializing the invention for benefitting the masses at large has a strong message and has been done beautifully. I hope the English subtitles takes the story beyond the Bengali speaking populace. Apart from making you feel part a of a rare culinary heritage, Rossogolla, is also a must watch for its overall warmth and the poetic justice.