SANJHBATI: Sanjhbati is a house (BB-162) in Salt Lake where lives an old lady with her maid. Things perk up with the arrival of a hunky caretaker. The presence of an old flame of the old lady adds spice to the melodrama. The movie borrows heavily from Gotro which had a stronger context and better screenplay. But this movie has a fresh screenplay and is a tear-jerker and has a predictable ending. Paoli Dam is superb as the maid. Lily Chakraborty and Soumitra Chatterjee are the pillars of this movie. Dev comes of age in his depiction of the caretaker but he does not come across as a village boy famished in search of a job. The movie turns preachy at the end and describes children immigrating to foreign lands in search of a livelihood as villains. The girl who plays Dev’s sister plays her part well. I don’t understand why maids and helps are consistently shown as holier than thou while the own sons and daughters are painted as villains. There is also a constant threat from promoters for “selling the house” to every lonely widow but in reality it is not the case. This movie is well-made sans any song and dance number and still is a sure entertainer.
AninditaRoyMusings 