THE SABARMATI REPORT: Gripping, incisive tale of the Godhra incident in 2002 the movie scores because of an efficient screenplay and excellent performances of Vikrant Massey, Ms Khanna and Ms Dogre. Massey with his medium build and lanky figure represents the common man and his beyond-compare acting finesse carries the movie single-handedly from Ground Zero to an elevated experience. The movie depicts the horrifying incident of a train travelling from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad carrying mostly Carsevaks set on fire by the “other” community. The second half is a little sluggish and the climax is predictable. The movie is a dramatization of the Nanavati-Mehta report on the Godhra incident but as you walk away from the end credits you cannot shy away from the realization that this movie is majorly a propaganda vehicle of the current establishment.
JAMALAYE JIBONTO BHANU: A promising story put up on a grandiose setup and exciting premise, the movie cannot save its face thanks to an illogical script and lackluster comedy (supposed to be the USP of the movie). Humor-mongering is an art and only a talented few can create humor masterfully and effortlessly (God bless my friend Anuradha Mukherjee whose sense of humor I have always found killing!) Despite mastering the mannerisms and portraying the distinctive looks of “Dhakar Pola Bhanu” (thanks to prosthetic makeup), Saswata Chatterjee fails flat on his face to deliver thanks to a shoddy screenplay. The scene that resonates the most is the recreation of the iconic scene from “Shaare Chuattar” depicting the legendary exchanges between Suchitra Sen and Bhanu Bandopadhyay over his obsession for “Malpua” (essaying the 50’s Bengali man’s bonding tactics with the female gender). The movie lacks to elicit any laughter (not even a stifled chuckle) and the audience is relegated to tedium and unforeseen misery.
AninditaRoyMusings 