Thursday 3 November 2011

Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbo Na [2011]


Songwriter, singer, actor, director – Anjan Dutt has donned quite a few hats in Ranjan Ami Ar Ashbo Na, as he’s done in his life. Like his delectable Madly Bengali, this movie too is based on the theme of music. Here he has played an ageing yet still immensely popular rockstar/ songwriter who takes Ranjana, a talented young ingénue, under his aegis. His initial intent for doing so was not, well, gentlemanly; living a life of ennui, guilt, self-hatred and severe loneliness, all he wanted was to have some easy fun with her. However, their relationships slowly evolve and he does finally accept her as his protégé in order to unravel her true talents. The movie has large doses of self-referential content, including, among others, having one of his most popular numbers as its title, the display of his deep admiration for fellow songwriter Kabir Suman, jamming on-screen with renowned and veteran performers like Amyt Dutta (lead guitar), Lew Hilt (bass guitar) and Nandon Bagchi (drums). The movie’s themes are quite fascinating, and portions of it are quite interesting – especially the interactions between the characters of Dutt and Suman; however, in large parts, the execution left me a tad disappointed – especially the inability to rein in the emotional content of the script. The music composition is good, and debutante Parno Mitra did a good job as the neophyte who has arrived in Calcutta with big dreams in her eyes.








Director: Anjan Dutt
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Showbiz Drama/Musical
Language: Bengali
Country: India

2 comments:

Matt S. said...

Brilliant blog and great review! Is there any way I can follow you somewhere besides through Facebook? Looking forward to your reviews, love to see you around my blog as well.

Shubhajit said...

Thanks a lot Matt for the appreciation. There's a follow button on my blog placed just below my '100 Favourite Movies' list. You can follow me through that. Keep visiting!