The elusive Calcutta rains continue to disappoint... I went out in search of Manikbabur Megh - The Cloud & the Man... after a long time a film that made me happy, a film that reminds us that Bengali films can be exceptional, a film about reality and imagination, like a piece of poetry... as a surprise there was Manikbabu himself, Chandan Sen; and Bauddhayan Mukherji, co-writer and producer of the film. The film proves that there is still space for quality cinema, and the audience reaction was heartwarming... in the difficult world of good films, this is a gem.
When a few hundred people are thrilled because after the show Chandan Sen is waiting for them, an unlikely star in a black-and-white small-budget, offbeat film. A stellar performance, nuanced mainly with silence. A classic black and white, the alleys of Calcutta, a middle class struggle story… how and why did it make me happy?
Manikbabur Megh is about hope, about unlikely relationships and importantly about the imagination, almost lost in these times.
The middle class mother who decides that her son needs English tuition as opposed to Bengali poetry classes. Us, a generation who can't imagine growing up without Abol Tabol, can relate to the changing dynamics and societal pressure.
And so much of my Calcutta. What I loved was the details of food woven into the script. Manikbabu at the fish market, feeding his father maach bhaat, Manikbabu enjoying his office para lunches, Manikbabu eating rosogolla (or was it pantua?) at his student’s house, and a true Bong enjoying mishti after the rejection of his poetry classes... and later enjoying what must be a chicken kathi roll.
Manikbabu clicking the cloud with a camera, not a phone. Not a tenant who demands a huge fee before releasing his space, a man who was in search of a home for his plants... a simple man who accepted his fate. A man who fed the street dogs. A lonely man who believed in poetry and perhaps that’s why he befriends a cloud.
Some beautiful moments surprise with their simplicity. Manikbabu bathing in the rain waters collected in his bucket, Manaikbabu wearing a newly tailored coat to romance his cloud. Quirky and sad at the same time.
Bauddhayan and Abhinandan, how did you all even think of a screenplay like this?
Thank you Abhinandan Banerjee for the treatment and vision and Little Lamb Films for being so brave... to every Bengali, catch the film, and all non-Bengali film lovers, catch it while you can... Manikbabur Megh – The Cloud & The Man. Monalisa Mukherji and Bauddhayan, Abhinandan, the cast and the crew, you all deserve multiple awards from across the world.
There is hope. I felt it in my bones watching a quiet, elegant, breathless audience relating to the silence of the film highlighted with an elegant sound design. There is good audience, we just have to give them the right art.
