Hrid Majharey

Hrid Majharey

Directed by	Ranjan Ghosh
Produced by	Ayaan Priyanshi Films
Written by	Ranjan Ghosh
Starring	Abir Chatterjee Raima Sen Indrasish Roy Arun Mukherjee Barun Chanda Sohag Sen Tamal Roychowdhury Tanusree Goswami Prasun Chatterjee
Music by	Mayookh Bhaumik
Cinematography	Sirsha Ray
Edited by	Bodhaditya Banerjee
Distributed by	Piyali Films
Release dates	11 July 2014 (2014-07-11) (India)
Running time	122 mins
Country	India
Language	Bengali
Budget	80 Lakhs (Release Budget)

Hrid Majharey (হৃদ্‌ মাঝারে) (English: Live in my Heart) is a critically acclaimed 2014 Indian-Bengali love tragedy film written and directed by debutant Bengali filmmaker Ranjan Ghosh.^[1] Inspired by certain iconic plays of William Shakespeare, this is the first film in the Bengali language based on the works of the Bard and is presented as a tribute on his 450th Birth Anniversary.^[1]^[2] The movie has earned a rare recommendation from Film London in its list of world cinema based on Shakespearean plays.^[3] In another major achievement, the film and its screenplay have been included in the UGC Literature Archive through the Shakespeare in Bengal project conducted by Jadavpur University.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Hrid Majharey also created history by becoming the first Bengali film to be shot in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands after a gap of almost 33 years. It was shot in 2013 in the Archipelagos. The last time was in 1979 when veteran filmmaker Tapan Sinha partly shot his Children's adventure film Sabuj Dwiper Raja in Port Blair.^[7]

Matinee idols Abir Chatterjee and Raima Sen debuted together in a romantic pairing for the very first time in this modern revisiting of William Shakespeare. ^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]

Theme

Math professor Abhijit and trainee Cardiologist Debjani's love story begins one rainy evening on a lonely Calcutta street. And it ends on yet another rainy evening in Port Blair, in the Andaman Islands. In between, lies a roller coaster journey dotted by love and jealousy, faith and delusion, destiny and free will.

The central theme is 'Character is Destiny'. What happens to us in our lives is determined by who we are. It talks about 'Self-fulfilling Prophecy' wherein a prophecy is made to a person and he, in the process of doing everything to prevent it from happening, actually goes about fulfilling it. The film is also about the unattainability of our most cherished dreams. All that we dream of in our lives, most often remain out of our reach.^[13]

Plot

The film begins with a shot in which a very dishevelled looking Abhijit (Abir Chatterjee) enters the room to find Debjani (Raima Sen) lying dead on the bed. The story goes back to a flashback and we get to see the reason behind such a fatal outcome. Abhijit is a professor of Mathematics at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. He lives with his only sister Mallika who is a crime journalist by profession. A chance meeting with a soothsayer (Sohag Sen) who warns Abhijit to stay away from love for his own good is not given much importance by the professor. One rainy night he comes across a beautiful damsel in distress Debjani, stranded, as her taxi has broken down. He gives Debjani, a trainee heart surgeon, a lift in his car and Cupid strikes. They date and fall in love. Abhijit, however, faces a problem at his job when an infatuated student proposes him. He rejects and in retaliation she does something to get back at the professor. He is initially arrested, and then ostracized by one and all. Faced with such grave issues at work, he goes to the Andamans along with Debjani in search of a new life. There they meet Shubhro (Indrasish Roy) who is Debjani's junior from their high school days. Shubhro runs an NGO at Port Blair and composes music in his pastime. Shubhro and Debjani spend time together rejuvenating their old friendship. At times, Abhijit gets jealous of Shubhro’s unwavering attention on Debjani. Shubhro dies in an accident and this leaves Abhijit in a confused state. He begins to question himself about the prophecy of the soothsayer. What actually happens next? Does Abhijit leave Debjani? And how does she die? Hrid Majharey answers them all.

Cast

Abir Chatterjee as Abhijit Mukherjee
Raima Sen as Debjani
Indrasish Roy as Subhro Sarkar
Barun Chanda as Professor Sen
Sohag Sen as Ho Chin Hua
Arun Mukherjee as Pagla Dashu
Tamal Roychowdhury as Professor Basu
Madhuchhanda Ghosh as 'Reba Maashi'
Tanusree Goswami as Mallika Mukherjee
Prasun Chatterjee as Indra Halder
Aditya Sengupta as Amit Mishra
Sonali Sanyal as Shinjini Mitra
Breeti Sarkar as Niomi Dey

Scripting and Pre-production

The first draft of the screenplay was written in 2008 and underwent numerous drafts till it got a producer in 2012. This was an assignment in the Scriptwriting syllabus at Whistling Woods International Film Institute where Ghosh was a Screenwriting student from 2007-2009. It also marks a rare achievement for the institute.

Pre-production spanned over four months from October 2012 till January 2013. Recce was carried out extensively in Kolkata and twice in the Andaman Islands to scout for apt yet budget-friendly locations. Jet Airways partnered as the travel sponsor for the Andaman Islands recce and shoot.

Principal Photography and Post-production

The film was shot on the RED EPIC Camera by ace cinematographer Sirsha Ray who had shot Bollywood movies Home Delivery and Aladin and acclaimed Bengali films Clerk, Shabdo, Shesher Kabita and Apur Panchali, among others. The first day of the shoot was on 3 February 2013. The film was shot over a period of 23 days with 13 days shoot in Kolkata and the remaining 10 days in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.^[14]

Being the only other Bengali film (after Sabuj Dwiper Raja-1979) to be shot in the Archipelagos, Hrid Majharey also became the first ever Bengali film and one of the rare Indian films to have been shot inside the hallowed cells of the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. The crew also filmed at Ross Island, Havelock Islands, Chidia Tapu, Corbyn's Cove Beach, Munda Pahar Beach, Wandoor Beach, Aberdeen Bazaar, the Marine Jetty, and at a host of other private and Government owned locations.^[15]^[16]^[17]

The film was edited by Bodhaditya Banerjee who has blockbusters like Autograph (2010 film), Baishe Srabon, Hemlock Society, Chaplin, Shesh Boley Kichu Nei and Apur Panchali to his credit. Editing took a couple of months to be locked.

The music production was done by National Film Awards winning music director Mayookh Bhaumik. Hrid Majharey would be one of his rare works where he has scored both the background music and composed the songs.

Release and Reception

The film released to wide critical appreciation but a poor pre-release publicity campaign resulted in a lukewarm audience response in the opening weekend. Second week onwards, buoyed by strong critical acclaim and a positive word of mouth among the viewers, it picked up in its sales and went on to complete 4 straight weeks in the city theatres. Its unbroken 4-week stint at the prestigious West Bengal Film Centre - Nandan, is considered a rare achievement for any debut directorial venture.^[13]^[18]

The Times of India came up with a befitting tribute to the film stating "For a debutant, Ranjan ably bypasses the pitfalls to reinvent Shakespeare. The fallibility of his hero rings true. The unattainability of dreams permeates the air - his dream to write a book; his lady love's, to get a 'home', of the vagabond, dying to go back to his roots, all remain unfulfilled. The picturesque landscape of Andaman adds to the chiaroscuro of emotions. We're filled with a wistful longing for a different ending to true love. 'If only...' rings within our heart."^[13]

The Indian Express review read "Celebrating Shakespeare’s tragic heroes on the one hand and tackling with the persistent conflict between chance and reason is a daunting task. Ranjan Ghosh, who wrote the script for Aparna Sen’s Iti Mrinalini, took up the gauntlet. Hrid Majharey is a story of intrigue rooted in love and its loss. It needs to be commended because of the technical command of the director, his conviction and his honesty."^[19]

Hindustan Times had high praises for the film. "Abir's performance as a suspicious lover, who struggles to choose between love and ambition, is top notch. Raima looks beautiful in every frame and the climax where Abir and Raima struggle for love over destiny, is worth a watch. It is sure to bring back the memories of Othello once again. The realization in the end is again a shocker. The film does have its share of loopholes. But then again, Ghosh shows his promise as a debutant director.^[20]

Business Standard carried an exclusive article on the film, post-release. It quoted Barun Chanda, one of Satyajit Ray's favourites, in which the veteran actor told the Press Trust of India, "These days many works by directors are said to be inspired by great works of literature, mostly by Shakespeare and Tagore. I am not sure if all such works really have that connection with the original works. I don't want to comment on that, neither do I wish to name any film." Chanda, having done a small role in 'Hrid Majharey' said debutant director Ranjan Ghosh largely succeeded in bringing forth the inherent rage and passion which may come gradually in a romantic relationship and the allusions to the Bard will enthuse the audience to see a good movie."^[21]

Leading regional dailies like Ananda Bazaar Patrika, Ei Samay, Aajkaal and Sangbad Pratidin, among others, feted the film for its freshness quotient and novel concept. Lauded for its taut screenplay, brilliant visuals and overall execution, Hrid Majharey also drew appreciation for its background score and performances by the lead cast.^[22]^[23]^[24]

Film Blog sites on the Web also carried positive reviews for Hrid Majharey.

Cinema Forensic - "For the first time director Ranjan Ghosh, Hrid Majhare was the test of his life. To be a visionary and to execute the vision on screen are two very different jobs, which the Whistling Woods pass-out handles quite amazingly. The casting has been apt and looks appealing on screen. Abir and Raima complement each other beautifully. Abhijit and Debjani’s love flows on the undercurrent of a prophecy, examining their togetherness, questioning their endearments every now and then. The constant conflict between fate and logic which goes on in Abhijit’s mind is portrayed with a certain sense of calmness by director Ranjan Ghosh."^[25]

Rhododendron - "Director Ranjan Ghosh deserves truly a couple of appreciative praises for managing the Shakespearean ideas in such a captivating way. Regardless of bringing numerous a Shakespearean components in this film, the chief shows the affection story artistically. This mixing is the thing that gives the story an unique taste. What is additionally outstanding is the way that the component of Hamartia which is a remarkable part of the disastrous legends has likewise appeared. Hrid Majharey demonstrates that Love could be both delicate and rough. It can flourish your life and also push you to enough agonies that will take even a lifetime to recuperate. The film will clearly touch your heart and will guarantee that it stays in your heart for a long time."^[26]

TollyPlanetBangla - "Director Ranjan Ghosh (his first movie) is good. His first time effort pays off quite well. Mayookh Bhaumik's music is praise-worthy. The entire cast has performed well, especially Abir Chatterjee and Raima Sen. Indrasish makes you feel that his future as an actor is bright. On the whole Hrid Majharey is a must watch film. Don't miss this film for anything. It will surely touch your heart as it has touched ours."^[27]

Tollywood Dhamaka - "The film doesn’t focus on any particular aspect of a Shakespearean play, but deals with the essential elements that hold the key to any of his plays like Othello’s blind obsession and jealousy, Macbeth’s prophecy and suchlike. Abir Chatterjee playing the lead undoubtedly is the best who portrays each of these characteristics to the best of his abilities. Raima Sen is a just support to the character. The overall handling of the subject matter is good and so is the background music. This is the first time a Bengali film has been shot at Andaman after 34 years and so we get to see the place (including the Cellular Jail which is shown to us) which is an added point. Ranjan’s first time effort does pay off."^[28]

Sholoana Bangaliana - "Director Ranjan Ghosh deserves quite a few appreciative pats on the back for dealing with the Shakespearean concepts in such an engaging manner. Acting by the cast receives a big thumbs up and ably helps the director in this project. Sohag Sen as the soothsayer is just perfect. Raima as the cardiologist does justice to her role. Indrasish Ray as Shubhro also supports the acting department well. Abir Chatterjee as Abhijit is fantastic in the romantic scenes. The soft look and the dimpled smile will melt many a girl’s heart away and Debjani in the film falls for his charms. He must also be given credit for bringing out the troubled emotions in a man so well. The angst and the indecisiveness that he portrays with his eyes and expressions will actually touch your heart."^[29]

Bangla Mirror rates Hrid Majharey as a confident and a bold debut by the director. It praises the cinematography and music of the film while adding that the edit could have been tighter. It describes the film as a heart-warming love story having a very good background score, believable performances by the entire cast and a superb execution by Ghosh.^[30]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack has music composed by Mayookh Bhaumik, with lyrics by Kaushik Ganguly and Prasenjit Mukherjee. The music was released on 1 July 2014.

No.	Title	Lyrics	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Emni Korey"	Prasenjit Mukherjee	Kinjal Chattopadhyay	4:17
2.	"Jaa Urey"	Kaushik Ganguly	Kaushiki Chakrabarty	3:04
3.	"Dekhechhi Roop Shagorey"	Traditional Folk	Rajib Das, Ishita Chakravarty (vocals)	5:10
4.	"Tomaay Hrid Majharey Rakhibo"	Traditional Folk	Zeenia Roy	5:50
5.	"Hrid Majharey Theme"	Instrumental	Instrumental	4:07