Mukho Mukhi Film Review
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MUKHOMUKHI MOVIE REVIEW
Agnibha (Rajatava) is novelist Isha’s (Gargee) biggest critic. So, when he adds a twist to her latest story about an estranged couple, (played by Jisshu and Paayel), things quickly drift towards an uncertain end.
It’s not every day that you get to watch a two-hour play on the big screen. I’m saying this because the look and feel of Mukhokukhi is exactly that of a stage production — complete with a black cyclorama and a set that creates distinct boundaries for the actors to move around. And the whole drama is enacted within the confines of this set. It’s just that the continuity created using spotlight shifts on stage is replaced by camera movements in the film.
True, the film is too experimental to be deemed a commercial product, and most of you must already be having apprehensions about seeing it, but it does deserve a watch. Not for the rather theatrical aura it exudes, but for the really good performances by the actors. And here, the stage set restrictions help them. They have fixed props and limited space and the ‘no retakes’ limitation of a stage play is obviously absent. This allows the actors to focus completely on acting and reacting. And the cast, especially Rajatava, Gargee, Jisshu, Paayel and Anjan Dutt, do that with elan. Emotions flow freely, the body language is bold and fluid and the more or less flat lighting helps highlight their precise expressions. It’s a treat to watch them act out the emotions, which the film is quite high on.
The story, on the other hand, is a well-visualised social commentary in the guise of a tale of heartbreak. The ‘enlightened’ Bengali way of living and thinking is constantly mocked and dissected through the use of visual vox pop, mannequins, a dance act by Sudarshan Chakraborty and even faceless or monochrome representational characters. And all this make for a heady mix of cynicism and constructive criticism that can make you smile on umpteen moments but also lose the strand of thought at times. Too much is happening too soon — flooding your brain with just about everything, from the Amazon to the Andamans and from the magical to mundane. At its core, it’s a commentary on the illusion called modern life. But it tries just a bit too hard to disperse the web modern beings are ensnared in and becomes a borderline sociological treatise.
What’s more, while the film examines the social shackles that make people myopic, the characters are never established well enough to show what holds them back or forces them to conform. The music, too, complements the storyline, as it’s more or less dramatic — swaying from soothing melodies to shocking crescendos.
Mukhomukhi is basically a film for theatre buffs, especially those who like to go home deep in thought. It’s a thought-provoker, and not a light watch.
Mukhomukhi | Official Trailer | Jisshu, Paayel, Gargee, Anjan D, Rajatava | Kamaleswar M