mysonamartya

I recently watched Switzerland, a 2020 Bengali film directed by Sauvik Kundu and starring Abir Chatterjee, Rukmini Maitra, Ambarish Bhattacharya, Arindam Ganguly, and others. It's a light, feel-good film with Abir and Rukmini portraying a young couple raising two school-going daughters. Abir works in sales, while Rukmini is a schoolteacher, hailing from a well-to-do family.

Tensions surface whenever they visit Rukmini's family, as an elderly widowed aunt (played by Alakananda Roy) takes every opportunity to belittle Abir with cutting, snobbish remarks. In a moment of quiet defiance at a family dinner, Abir impulsively declares that he's taking his entire family on a trip to Switzerland - leaving his in-laws and relatives utterly stunned.

The film then follows Abir's often brave and challenging efforts to arrange the funds for this extravagant promise, leading him into a series of adventures and difficult situations. Running just about two hours, Switzerland offers engaging performances from Abir and Rukmini, with a memorable cameo by veteran Arun Mukhopadhyay as their elderly next-door neighbour. At its heart, the film is a warm family drama about the lengths one will go to keep their loved ones happy.

A few days ago, Shaji N. Karun, the acclaimed Malayalam filmmaker, passed away. Before venturing into direction, Shaji had already established himself as a gifted cinematographer, collaborating with the legendary G. Aravindan on several of his notable works. I vividly remember watching Shaji's Piravi (The Birth) years ago - a film that left me utterly spellbound. Yesterday, I felt compelled to revisit it.

Imagine this: an elderly father, full of hope, sets out to receive his son. He boards a local boat to cross a river, walks a long, arduous path to the bus stop, and waits endlessly until dusk for his son who never arrives. With heavy steps and a heavier heart, he retraces his journey back home in the same weary manner. The agony of anticipation lingers, much like Hachiko, the loyal dog who waited for his deceased master, unaware of his fate. In both stories, the impossibility of reunion transforms love and longing into quiet desolation and a slow, irreversible decline.

Piravi is said to be inspired by the real-life Rajan case - a tragic episode during India's Emergency period in the late 1970s. A young student in Kerala, accused of dissent for singing a protest song during a Chief Minister's visit, was taken into police custody and never returned. While the film's political commentary remains understated, the focus lies on the personal tragedy - the father's anguish, his desperate hope, and the carefully concealed horror of the truth, shielded from him by those fearing his heart would not endure it.

Interestingly, Shaji's narrative style in Piravi echoes the approach of Mrinal Sen, whose films like Ek Din Pratidin, Kharij, and Khandahar also feature an absent central character - a presence felt through absence.

Visually, Piravi is exquisite. Shaji captures Kerala's lush, rain-soaked landscapes with an artistry that contrasts nature's serenity against the bleakness of human suffering. The incessant rain becomes a powerful metaphor for the father's inner torment, a reflection of grief that seeps into the very earth of God's Own Country. Premji, portraying the father, delivers a performance of remarkable restraint and poignancy, his face a canvas of silent suffering.

Piravi remains a rare cinematic gem - a film of haunting beauty, moral courage, and deep human empathy.

Rating: (4.5/5)

Jean-Luc Godard once remarked, "I pity the French cinema because it has no money. I pity the American cinema because it has no ideas." This quote came to mind while watching Accident (2012), a Bengali film directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee. While Bengali cinema occasionally delivers commendable works, it often struggles to find a wide audience. Meanwhile, other Indian film industries thrive despite producing largely formulaic content.

Thematically, Accident bears a resemblance to Atom Egoyan's 'The Sweet Hereafter.' Both films explore the aftermath of a tragic bus accident involving schoolchildren-though in 'Accident', the tragedy is singular, whereas 'The Sweet Hereafter' deals with a collective loss. Without revealing too much of the plot, Accident intertwines contemporary issues such as rampant corruption, shifting moral values, and societal awakening. The second half transforms into a gripping 'fight for justice' thriller, as public outrage builds against a powerful nexus of corporate tycoons, bus owners, and politicians. The film's depiction of mobilizing public opinion echoes the real-life protests seen during the R. G. Kar case last year.

While some sequences stretch credibility, 'Accident' remains a commendable effort in highlighting a pressing societal issue while crafting an engaging narrative. Shiboprosad Mukherjee delivers a compelling performance as the grieving yet determined father, while Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Debshankar Halder, and Rudranil Ghosh lend solid support.

Rating: 4/5.