The Age of Murkiness

After a long time I watched a bong movie: not just ANY bong movie, but one of those new-age, trying-to-different, interspersed with English and Hindi (it even has a Hindi song) dialogues kinda pseudo-intellectual movie. The difference is that this one actually works…and I am not saying it because it got rave reviews, ran in Kolkata for a record 114 days and bagged some 38 awards in different film festivals. I am also not saying it because the Director happens to be my senior in school (my school had too many students. Two of them turned out to be famous directors. It’s no big deal) who then went to JNU, worked in the corporate world and then quit to become a director and this is his first movie. I am saying it because I identify with it at so many levels; plus it’s a REALLY GOOD FILM.

I identify with the childish reverence to Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar (the movie is a tribute to the classic, Nayak)…

I identify with the sheer annoyance at the mis-pronunciation of perfectly-spelt Bengali names and other stereotypes…

I identify with the protagonist: the young guy, educated and employed in Mumbai, who struggles for two years to get his script accepted and finally ropes in the famous actor to produce and act in his debut movie, ON HIS TERMS (without changing the script to make it ‘commercially viable’)…

I identify with the protagonist’s live-in girlfriend: the way she passionately gives herself first to the relationship and then to the movie, but walks out on both when she is used for a cheap publicity stunt…

I identify with the elements of their relationship: the friendship, the lack of jealousy/possessiveness or the non-existence of any claims whatsoever on each other…

Finally, Prosenjit, as the famous actor with a chequered past completely takes your breath away. I don’t identify with him, but his performance carries the movie to heights of creative excellence.

The movie has no heroes and no villains: the characters are vulnerable yet strong, imperfect yet humane, believable yet surreal.

Oh I forgot, the name of the movie is Autograph. And here is a review