Shob Charitro Kalponik

Sob Charitro Kalponik
Film poster for Shob Charitro Kalponik.
Directed by	Rituparno Ghosh
Written by	Rituparno Ghosh
Starring	Prasenjit Bipasha Basu Paoli Dam[1] Jisshu Sengupta
Music by	Raja Narayan Deb
Cinematography	Soumik Haldar
Editing by	Arghakamal Mitra
Distributed by	Big Pictures
Release dates	28 August 2009 (2009-08-28)
Language	Bengali

Sob Charitro Kalponik, (Bengali: সব চরিত্র কাল্পনিক "All Characters are Imaginary") also known as Afterword, is a 2009 Bengali film by Rituparno Ghosh.^[2] The film stars Bipasha Basu and Prosenjit Chatterjee. This film is selected for the 30th Durban International Film Festival and won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali. '09^[3]

Plot

Non-resident Bengali Radhika (Bipasha Basu) marries the thespian poet Indranil Mitra (Prosenjit Chatterjee) to settle in Kolkata. While Indranil continues his surveillance of the surreal world of words, rhythms, rhymes and imaginations Radhika single-handedly pulls out the private and public aspects of conjugal life. Radhika gets wholesome support from their housemaid Priyobala Das (also called Nondor ma). While the apparently irresponsible and introvert Indranil does one menace after other (like quiting his job after getting an award), Radhika stands like a rock to make the family exist materially. But all the reluctance and indifference from Indranil, makes Radhika’s heart oscillate towards Shekhar, her office colleague and Indranil’s biggest admirer. Radhika becomes attracted to Shekhar (Jisshu Sengupta) but can’t abandon the unpredictability and histrionics of her spouse.

The benevolent woman remains awe-struck when she hears about Indranil’s demise while she was aiding her ailing mother during the Durga Pujas. Life never becomes the same again for Radhika. She begins to discover the dead poet through a mystic and subtle journey. She discovers Indranil’s woman of fantasy, Kajori Roy (Paoli Dam). Through the journey, Indranil becomes more real to Radhika than what he was living. Radhika’s relation with Shekhar dies. She discovers that Indranil had lifted some of her own poems but through his she feels that the man was not indifferent to her. Radhika remains intertwined with the unknown galaxy of imagination within which she invents Indranil in an entirely unexplainable phenomena.

Cast

• Bipasha Basu as ... Radhika Mitra
• Prosenjit Chatterjee as ... Indranil Mitra
• Jisshu Sengupta as ... Shekhar
• Paoli Dam as ... Kajori Roy
• Sohag Sen as...Priyobala Das aka Nondor Maa

Critical Reception

The movie was critically acclaimed because of its sensitive, subtle and somewhat abstract treatment of the two faces of love - the romanticised face, as portrayed by Indranil, and the practical side, as portrayed by Radhika. The poet Indranil, while romanticising even the drab day to day details of life in his creations, is often insensitive and irresponsible in real life. Radhika tries to keep the marriage together by taking care of the material aspects of their marital life, but Indranil's careless behaviour convinces her that he does not care about her. Frustration, as expected, gives way to an affair with a colleague, Shekhar, and Radhika contemplates leaving Indranil. However, even while thinking about divorce, she is unable to hide her true feelings for him. When Indranil passes away due to a sudden stroke, life changes for Radhika. Exploring his poems and stories after his passing, she realises that the muse Kajori is actually a romanticised version of herself - Radhika, as seen through Indranil's eyes. When she discovers that his last work was actually lifted from an English poem written by herself, she rants and fights with Indranil's empty chair - a culmination of the frustrated love and loss she had felt all her life. Even so, she feels closer to Indranil through his works than she ever had in his lifetime.

The film's main strength, perhaps, is the story. A story so commonplace it hits you hard, right in your heart. The story of a life that could have been but is now lost because we let unimportant things take priority. The story of being misunderstood because you cannot, or will not, express your true feelings. The story of the eternal struggle between art and practicalities. Rituparno, as usual, touches hearts and evinces tears with his heart wrenching narrative.

The power packed performances of the actors, especially Bipasha Basu and Sohag Sen as Radhika and Nandor Ma respectively, bring the story to life. Prosenjit as Indranil is extraordinary, while Jisshu as Shekhar, considering the limited potential of the role, does good too. Paoli as Kajori has hardly anything to deliver. While Prosenjit and Jisshu might have given better performances in many other movies, Bipasha is simply awesome in the role. It would not be incorrect to say that this is her best performance ever.

References

External links

• Shob Charitro Kalponik at the Internet Movie Database