Loosely based on Bonophool’s short story Pashapashi, Kamaleshwar Mukherjee’s latest directorial venture Ektu Sore Boshun aims to provide a satirical social commentary on the rise of unemployment in the country. But an overwhelming number of characters and a convoluted plotline undermines the effort.
Ektu Sore Boshun follows village boy Guddu (Ritwick Chakraborty) as he runs away from home, frustrated by the lack of opportunities, and lands in Kolkata in search of work, encountering myriad characters and complications along the way.
In Kolkata, he puts up with a distant relative, Phatik-da (Rajatava Dutta) and his wife (Paayel Sarkar), who, however, take advantage of Guddu’s naivete and put him in charge of their kids’ caretaking.
Just when Guddu’s hunt for a job almost hits a dead end, he happens to help the police catch a few criminals and becomes famous on the internet overnight. His newfound fame earns Guddu a meeting with a placement consultant, Rokeya (Paoli Dam), who in turn tries to cash in on Guddu’s popularity to rejuvenate her own company which is on the brink of closure.
Meanwhile, Guddu’s mother (Manasi Sinha) and his girlfriend (Ishaa Saha), accompanied by a schoolteacher from the village (Kharaj Mukherjee), arrive in Kolkata to find Guddu and take him back home. And they get entangled in a series of misadventures of their own.
While Ritwick makes Guddu very convincing, the convoluted plotline and plethora of characters often get in the way of the intended comedic effect. The film takes a satirical perspective on the current political and social scenario, which is heavily reflected in the dialogues. While there are many moments that make one smirk, sitting through a two-and-a-half-hour-long film saturated with socio-political references can be quite challenging, especially since some of the characters pop up without sufficient context.
Among the cast, Kharaj Mukherjee and Manasi Sinha have fantastic comic timing, providing some hilarious moments. Paoli Dam as Rokeya, the seductive employment agency owner, brings the style and charm the role demanded. Rajatava Dutta stands out as Guddu’s opportunistic relative-cum-landlord.
