Durga Puja is a festival close to the heart of all Bengalis and they wait for it eagerly throughout the year. As soon as the festive days come to an end, the countdown for the next one begins. Celebrating this spirit of the people of Bengal is the song Thakur thakbe kotokkhon, the first song from the upcoming film Shontaan.

With lyrics by Priyo Chattopadhyay and music composed by Jeet Gannguli, the lively, festive dance number has been sung in the inimitable voices of Amit Kumar and Jeet Gannguli. Picturised on Mithun Chakraborty who plays a pivotal role in Shontaan, directed by Raj Chakraborty, the music video showcases a festive fervour associated with Durga Puja celebrations in a traditional, close-knit community.

It shows a beautifully decorated community Puja pandal crowded with people participating in the rituals associated with bidding adieu to the Goddess and her children on Vijaya Dashami. While a group of women dressed in red-bordered white saris and carrying puja trays are busy getting ready for their turn to perform the ritual and the dhaakis strum up a vigorous beat, Mithun makes a dramatic entrance into the scene attired in traditional Bengali dhoti and panjabi. As he breaks into song, the others start dancing and he too joins in.

A moment from Shontaan

The song articulates a common feeling among Bengalis that the days of the Pujas pass by too quickly and they seem to end soon after they have begun. More than the actual days of the festival, what they enjoy more are the days leading up to the Pujas, when the excited anticipation about the five days of Durga Puja reaches its climax. Though the lyrics strike a note of sadness, that the Pujas have almost ended, the mood in the song is upbeat with more and more people joining in the celebration.

Also appearing in the song are Anashua Majumder and Sohini Sengupta. A dialogue by the duo where they are talking about Mithun Chakraborty's character, suggests the affectionate bond between his character and that of Anashua Majumder, who plays his wife. Later, she too can be seen in the pandal, also offering prayers to the Goddess and enjoying the revelry that her husband and the others are indulging in. The sweet and endearing chemistry between the elderly couple is also highlighted in the song. However, the absence of Ritwick Chakraborty's character from this scene at a festive time underlines his detachment from his parents.

The colourful and well-synchronised dance sequence accompanying the refrain Thakur thakbe kotokkhon, thakur jabe bisorjon, which has been similarly recreated several times in many Bengali films before this one, nevertheless creates an atmosphere that realistically mirrors the mood of the people during this time. Coming at a time when Bengalis are missing the fun, laughter and togetherness associated with the Pujas, Thakur thakbe kotokkhon promises to seal a place in their hearts by helping them relive once more the warmth, energy and enthusiasm of those special days, which they begin waiting for impatiently as soon as the Pujas are over.