The news out of Kolkata is generally depressing. All my family and friends who live there see it as hopeless place where things are all but certain to grow worse over time. My friend S was telling me the the other day that speaking Bengali outside Bengal can be problematic these days so many choose to not to speak it outside their homes. Somehow that conversation triggered a the need to watch a Bengali movie and its been a really long time since I did that. Happened upon this one which is ironically a long ode to Kolkata. Some people I knew back in the day would have shared the sentiments the characters in the movie expressed about the city - that it has a heart and soul, that it grows on you over time. Those same people have turned indifferent or pessimistic now which is particularly sad to see. The movie featured two of my favorite Tagore songs, my mother would play them on vinyl and often sang along.
The words form my earliest memories of the language. I was too young then to understand what they meant but could tell that they moved her deeply. It was usually in the quiet mid-afternoons when she was done with her domestic chores and had some time to herself. She seemed to be far away in her mind though she was physically with me. Looking back it was my first time I recognized even without knowing it that she had a world that she'd never allow anyone into. Anyone who was foolish enough to try would only end up disappointed. Watching the movie was an interesting experience in the range of emotions it triggered for me even though the storyline was too contrived and overboard all around for my taste. The protagonist is checks every box of the Indian woman to the point of absurdity. They hope to humanize her by showing that she enjoys her alcohol and drives fast - but for that she is the modern day Sita.
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