![]() ![]() He represents a certain kind of individual, and that’s why, the director, Anik Dutta, doesn’t bother to give us much of a backstory, as if the Bengali audience will fill in the gaps with the image Chatterjee holds in their collective consciousness. If his life and work is the iceberg, we see the tip: an old man, pained, disturbed, and mildly irritated, with what it has all come to: the state of the nation, present-day Bengal, his sons and his grandchildren, all of whom have turned out to be disappointments. Borunbabu, in many ways, is Chatterjee himself. Even at 80, he writes a fiery oped in response to a dicey, pro-government article about a new economic policy, or goes to Presidency college to give a pep talk to student party members. Borunbabu is one of the last of his kind, a bhadralok intellectual who has lived a middle-class life in tune with his political beliefs. It seems almost preordained that Borunbabur Bondhu, which stars him in the titular role, had to be Soumitra Chatterjee’s last film before his death. There is a restraint, and suddenly, the eyes and the smile carry years of depth. Sure, he uses the beard and the long hair as a crutch, to hide his deficiencies and the accent slips on several occasions - it’s not perfect but Jeet is an enormous presence in Asur, a film that misses the mark on almost every other department. But there’s something about ageing and washed-up stars in the way they are able to convey a lot more with less. ![]() Jeet as an eccentric bohemian artist? Superstar of the rural masses as a sculptor in a film that’s supposed to be a tribute to Ramkinkar Baij? Anyone would have laughed at the idea: the well-groomed, metrosexual Jeet couldn’t be farther from the uncouth folk hero Kigan Mandi, the protagonist in Pavel’s Asur. This list of the year’s best performances, therefore, exists in its own bubble: 6 performances from films (and a web series), in the order of their releases. Hero: Ram Charan, Director: VV Vinayak, Release: 2013ĩ.Power: Hero: Ravi Teja, Director: Bobby, Release: 2014ġ0.Khaidi No.150: (Contains Howrah Bridge Scenes. ![]() Hero: Yasho Sagar, Director: Karunakaran, Release: 2008Ħ.Panja: Hero: Pawan Kalyan, Director: Vishnuvardhan, Release: 2011ħ.Adurs: (The film shows Howrah Bridge in Calcutta two or three times.) Hero: Junior NTR, Director: VV Vinayak, Release: 2010 Hero: Venkatesh, Director: VV Vinayak, Release: 2006 Hero: Surya, Director: Mani Ratnam, Release: 2004 Hero: Pawan Kalyan, Director: SJ Surya, Release: 2001 Hero: Chiranjeevi, Director: Gunasekhar, Release: 1998 ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |