I went to see Antarmahal at FAME Andheri on Sunday – a bengali language film starring Jackie Shroff, Soha Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan among others. The setting is of the old bengal in the 1800s when the zamindari system was still prevalent. The film is based on a short story written by Tarashankar Bandopadhyay called Protima. It deals with the oppression of women by the hands of the zamindars and the hindu priests of those times. The most enduring aspect of the movie is the excellent light and shade cinematography by Abhik Sen. That really moves you well before you have settled down in your seat.
Bhubaneshwar Chowdhury (Jackie Shroff) is an oppressive & almost ruthless zamindar who wants a legal heir to his throne. Mahamaya (played by Roopa Ganguly) is the first wife and is almost discarded to the dark corners of the villa because she cannot conceive. Thus he marries Jashomati (Soha Ali Khan) with the hope that she will bear his child in the future. Soon they are joined by a potter from Krishnaganj called Brij Bhushan or Brojo (Abhishek Bachchan) who is entrusted with the job of making the idol of Goddess Durga with the face of Queen Victoria.
I must admit (and so have others) that Rituparno Ghosh is surely the contemporary Ray. I will just stop short of saying anything else because I know that there can’t be another Satyajit Ray for a 1000 years. But Ritu has a style that enchants even the most illiterate of movie buffs. His sense for details and the direction is magnificent. It has made me desperate to see Raincoat & Choker Bali (all directed by Rituparno Ghosh) which I hope to do soon.
Staying with the east, the biggest news of today is that of the NDA coming to power in Bihar. This would end the 15 year rule of Laloo Prasad Yadav and hopefully usher the state into some economic and social development.
