Antaheen (2009) :
Brief Review -
Iconic The Shop Around the Corner (1940) meets intellectual Bengali cinema and a tragic climax. Ernst Lubitsch's adapted a French play into The Shop Around the Corner and created a timeless romantic comedy. Over the decades, the story has been revisited in films like In the Good Old Summertime, You've Got Mail, and Sirf Tum. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's Antaheen follows the same narrative core but layers it with uniquely Bengali sensibilities and a different resolution. What sets Antaheen apart is the texture of its conversations and the supporting characters. Instead of shop owner Matuschek, we see a separated couple struggling to keep their bond alive unofficially. They converse like companions but are no longer life partners, a distinctly modern take on relationships. The central pair communicates through laptops-quite a novel idea for 2009-making the film strikingly contemporary in tone and structure. One of the most fascinating threads is the mother's story. She recalls losing a potential partner she never actually met, leaving us intrigued about his absence and hinting he might resurface. This perception is cleverly aligned with the protagonist's journey, and the ending mirrors her own platonic infatuation, delivering both closure and poignancy. The conversations between the leads, as well as the secondary couple, are intelligent, subtle, and filled with emotional weight. The romance itself, however, often takes a backseat. At times, the director seems uncertain, especially in the song sequences-lingering shots of the heroine bathing, gazing into the mirror, or daydreaming about the unseen man. These diversions feel ornamental rather than integral, distracting from the sharper structure of the narrative. Still, Antaheen stands out as a must-watch. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury succeeds where many filmmakers have stumbled: reimagining The Shop Around the Corner with originality, cultural depth and as a tragedy. Instead of merely copying, he reshapes it into something thoughtful, modern, and unmistakably Bengali.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
