Shakespeare has inspired many a tale in Indian cinema. Vishal Bharadwaj has in fact made a fine career making movies based on plays of the Bard. For a debutant to take up Shakespeare is a challenge in itself, and Ranjan Ghosh manages to pull it off quite superbly.
The story is not new. What makes it different is the treatment. Bits of Shakespeare are sprinkled liberally, from the prophecy (Macbeth) to the jealousy that creeps in (Othello), each reference is used well and is intricate to the plot. The protagonist starts by having his views deep-rooted in logic (being a teacher of Mathematics) and has a chance meeting with an amateur soothsayer, who cautions him against falling in love. Not one to believe in such things, the protagonist goes ahead and falls in love anyways. How his life goes downhill from there, and how he deals with the complexities of his conflicts among logic ,love and destiny forms the crux of the story.
I liked the performances. Abir Chatterjee, Raima Sen and Indrasish Roy are well cast. The backdrop of the Andaman Islands makes the tragedy picturesque. A special mention for the climax – SUPERB. Just when you thought you figured it all out…there comes a pseudo-open ending…a what “could be” And that is what makes this movie special to me…
To see or not to see…that is really not the question here. Available with subtitles on You Tube. Go..watch…you will end the movie with a smile on your face and a tear in your eye…