Since Rainbow Jelly, it was evident that Soukarya Ghosal is here to stay. I have personally always liked his work but with Bhootpori he knocks the ball out of the park. Surya (Bishantak Mukherjee) is a musical prodigy who plays the violin like a pro even without formal training. He lives in his own world which is partly magic and partly delusional according to his mother (Sudipta Chakraborty). He has always been a special kid but his erratic behaviour makes his parents believe he is suffering from some kind of mental disorder. They leave for their country home, which is a small town where our Bhootpori (Jaya Ahsan) lives. How and why the two meet are something you have to find out on your own in the theatres.
The world in Ghosal’s film is like a story coming alive from the pages of our favourite Puja Barshiki stories or a Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay novel — full of interesting characters who befriend little Surya and a villain (Santilal Mukherjee) who gives you the chills but you cannot help but keep turning the pages to know more of what he does next.
The story is riveting and original. Probably the originality of the story and the dialogues are what makes Bhootpori a modern-day fairy tale with the right intentions. Unlike Cinderella though, our heroine Bonolata (Jaya Ahsan) is not waiting for a charming prince who finds the right pair of shoes but something more important and essential for women everywhere — freedom! Even after turning into a ghost that is what she is still looking for! Sounds ironic but isn’t it the reality of this world still?
She died in her jewellery and secretly wished she had worn something more comfortable before she died that day. I literally exclaimed loudly in the theatre as I could relate to the burden of always being uncomfortable to look and be perfect as a woman. Women are taught to be uncomfortable and accept that as their fate.
Bonolata was married off at an early age without her permission (nobody honestly cared back then). She lived a very uncomfortable reality of being a widow in the pre-Partition era and to top it all, she had the most uncomfortable final day that gave her a lonely existence even as a ghost. Though all of these bits are serious and heavy to process, the way it has been executed does not make the storytelling heavy as a whole. It is, like I mentioned earlier, a fairy tale with enough laughs and twists to keep you hooked without making you uncomfortable.
This brings me to raise a question about the U/A certificate for the film. Visually and also in terms of the story it should have been a U and the uncomfortable reality of women is not portrayed in a way where children need to look away. We belong to a country where a 10-year-old was married off to an adult or young women were burnt alive as Satis and we learn about them in history books by seventh grade... then what’s wrong with knowing the truth in cinema?
Bhootpori points at female infanticide, dowry, women in societal shackles in the most sensitive way possible. Let our children with their innocence and open heart learn about the shackles women carried and still do in the simple language of cinema. If not now then when? Let them decide if this is how our world should continue to be. Especially little boys. Our children are our future.
The film has some amazing performances. Jaya yet again delivers a character with honesty and grace. It’s the little things she does on screen that make her stand out always. Bishantak is extremely believable as little Surya. His gaze, playful nature and absolute comfort in front of the camera make him the spine of the film.
Ritwick Chakraborty as Makhan Chor who is carrying the legacy of his ancestors who were all renowned thieves, was the most funny and interesting character of the film. He is so good that you will want Makhan Chor back on screen every time he leaves. The duo of Surya and Makhan Chor should have a spin-off! I was left craving for more of them.
Uday Shankar Pal as Banwari was really good and I hope to see him in many more films. Shantilal as Kalo Thakur deserves special mention. I was scared of him yet my eyes widened at every move that man made. I wonder what he can’t do! In the limited screen presence he had, Shantilal made Kalo Thakur remind me of Kanpalik from Kapal Kundala. His eyes were calm before the storm. His devotion even towards everything wrong makes sense when you see Shantilal own the character in its truest sense. In the present day if we have someone equivalent to Robert De Niro’s range and is of his age in Tollywood, it’s him. If only we realise it sooner. Kalo Thakur deserves his own film!
Ritabhari Chakraborty Sourced by The Telegraph
The camera work by Alok Maiti is nice. The smart editing by Arghyakamal Mitra weaves the film right. My complaint though is about the locations. Not that they were not good but Tollywood films have visually started looking similar due to repetitive use of locations. No matter how much effort you put into beautifying them, they look like something you have already seen. Durga Bari was the heart of the film and I would have liked to see something that makes me wonder what is this place. Instead, I felt like I was dragged into another Bolpur structure that they rent out for shoots. Executive producers and production managers, are you listening?
But this is not something that will ruin your experience at all watching Bhootpori. The art director Ananda Addhya goes above and beyond in making them look mystique. There is a scene where Surya finds a special white room and let me just tell you without giving away the plot that I applaud both Soukarya for his vision and the art director for delivering it. Just a thought as someone who deals with a lot of people with mental health issues.
It would have been nice if the bond between Surya and his mother (Sudipta) was a little more or if the worried mother showed a little more concern physically every time he wandered off, given she believes he has a psychological disorder. She is a writer who we never saw writing yet was barely there with Surya while he went out on his adventures. She was concerned only when he was in trouble.
Bhootpori is a strong reminder of what a Bengali film is capable of when it is original. There are such great stories in the heart of our very own filmmakers, so why go looking at Bollywood or South to find tales? As a fellow creator and artiste, my pride soars higher knowing I belong to an industry that is capable of speaking of the pain caused to humanity and make me laugh in the same tale in a film like Bhootpori. Bravo Soukarya! Bravo Surinder Films! Bravo Bengali cinema!
