Surjo Prithibir Chardike Ghore may not be a perfect film, but it deserves to be watched.
How far will one go in his or her passion to stand by their conviction and the sense of right or wrong? Why is the battle for ideals only reduced to opportunistic escapism for some, who only hold on to things per their whims and convenience? Why is there such lack of appreciation for genuine passion and the courage to be different, even if it may not align with the most prevalant or popular?
These are meta themes which are as much applicable for the characters of the film, as they are for the film itself. Arijit Biswas‘s debut film is a good attempt of a bold social commentary on the broader societal and ideological construct, and even if the overall screenplay wavers and isn’t able to provide a consistent immersive experience throughout, it will leave you to think and introspect overall.
Anjan Dutt delivers the finest performance of the film as the filmmaker who is not willing to compromise on his ideals in lure for success, and Meghnad Bhattacharya is an excellent fit as the passionate geocentric man KC Pal (TC Pal in the film). Chiranjeet Chakraborty wavers as the conflicted and opportunistic superstar, but delivers in most of the crucial parts of the films. Paran Bandopadhyay and Sreela Majumdar don’t have much to surprise in their limited roles, while Pallabi Chattopadhyay completely fizzles out (though the character deserved a better writing too!).
In fact, irrespective of the scope, all the performances possibly needed a tighter script and better edited film to deliver a more impactful punch. The film especially feels stretched out and long in the final 30 minutes tending to fall into a repetitive loop. Possibly, the story could have been much more effectively told if it were a 60 to 75 min long large-short-film.
Yes, there was scope to make a better film based on such a unique concept. But how often do we have a filmmaker showing the courage to challenge the status quo and make us retrospect about our own paradigms of success and failure in life? Arijit Biswas’s film helps achieve that. I am glad I watched Surjo Prithibir Chardike Ghore. It deserves to be watched.
