The charm of seeing an Aparna Sen film lies principally in the fact that she is a director who dares to be always different; with the result that the viewer rarely comes away disappointed.
And so it is with Arshinagar. The film is a love story between Rawno and Julie, set in the backdrop of a slum named Arshinagar which is set to be overrun by constructors who are bidding for a flyover and the development of the surrounding real estate.
An ordinary love story ? Of course it is. Inspired by Romeo & Juliet ? Certainly, there is also a wee sprinkling of Grease (the T birds and the Pink Ladies), although I doubt that the director intended that.
What makes this movie different is its execution. It is an opera rather than a film, and so skilfully created that you sometimes feel you are watching it live -like a play- rather than in digital form. The editing, lighting and camerawork all contribute to giving the atmosphere its feel; the background score is excellent and absolutely on point, the vocals superlative. Yes, the vocals : the entire dialogue of the film is in rhyme, like Vikram Seth's "The Golden Gate"; rhyme which is occasionally punctutated by song. The effect is extraordinary, since each line is emoted differently and the poetic effect is subtle.
The performances were all effective- the ubiquitous Dev, a menacing Jissu Sengupta, a rustic Swagata Mukherjee, Rupa Ganguly, even the very young Rittika Sen.
Alas, the Kolkata moviegoer is not impressed - the hall was more than half empty, and more than one person left halfway through the film - which is really a pity: versatility is just one of Aparna Sen's many middle names, and we need more filmmakers with her vision, her imagination and her canvas.
Arshinagar is, in its own way, a unique work of cinematic craft. The Kolkata film critics and the film buffs are split down the middle in their opinion of this. You'll either love this movie, or hate it: go see it if you dare.
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