Raktabeej Film Review
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How Shiboprosad Mukherjee & Nandita Roy brought a wave in Durga Puja with Raktabeej- Film Review
Synopsis
“Raktabeej" tells the story of a man's homecoming, entrusted with a crucial portfolio of responsibilities. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when a devastating accidental explosion in a firecracker factory uncovers a sinister threat lurking in the shadows. As the film's official description states, a tale of tremendous danger unfolds before our eyes.
Directed & Produced
The film has been directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee and produced by Windows Production House.
Cast
Renowned actor and Padma Bhushan recipient, Victor Banerjee, takes on the captivating lead role in this incredible film. Joining him a talented ensemble cast including the talented Anasua Majumdar, the charming Abir Chatterjee, the sensational Mimi Chakraborty, and the versatile Kanchan Mallick, among others. With Ambarish Bhattacharya, Satyam Bhattacharya, Debasish Mondal, Devlina Kumar rounding out the cast, this movie promises to be an unforgettable cinematic experience.
Film Review
When the country’s President is on his way home, to his own village, to his own people, his convoy comes to a screeching halt, with a goat blocking the road. It’s not an unusual sight in rural Bengal, but in this case, President Animesh Chatterjee is transported to his childhood Puja, tucked away in his myriad memory of the life gone by. It’s animals that appear as a leitmotif in Raktabeej that is about the eternal struggle between the good and the evil, albeit differently.
At the heart of the story is the President, who comes to his paternal home, a few days after a blast in a house, where the inhabitants were engaged in making explosives camouflaging them as firecrackers. To investigate into the matter, the Special Central Investigating Agency sends his own team, which is headed by an able officer, Pankaj Sinha. From the State, Burdwan SP Sanjukta Mitra joins him and together they probe into the blast only to find horrifying details that put a question mark on the President’s security.
Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, known for entertaining films with an underlying social message, delivers a mind-numbing thriller, their first in this genre. Armed with a good script that highlights five days of Durga Puja, it begins with the President’s homecoming on Panchami and climaxes on Dashami. And what a climax it is! Apart from thrilling the audience to bits, what Raktabeej does is hammer the mythological story to drive home a point --- the war between the good and the evil is on!
In the acting department, greats combine to deliver cinema that hooks you, connects with you, makes you pause and think. Victor Banerjee makes a brilliant comeback in mainstream cinema as President Animesh Chatterjee, while Anasua Majumdar is every bit his doting elder sister, Gouri Devi, with whom he shared a large part of his life. In fact, the younger Animesh and Gouri also bring out almost the same chemistry as the senior actors. Meanwhile, it’s interesting to watch the history that Pankaj shares with the President, which eggs him on to get to the bottom of the story. Kanchan Mallick as OC Nityananda Patitundi and Ambarish as journalist Bhaskar generate some genuine laugh-worthy moments in the film, while all other supporting actors, be it Satyam Bhattacharya, Devlina Kumar, Paromeeta Mukherjee, Uma Banerjee and others, live and breathe their parts. The show stealers are, of course, warring cops Abir and Mimi, who share a love-hate relationship and are as different from each other as chalk and cheese. Their chemistry is fresh and makes you believe that true partnership can also be true love.
Peppered with some songs of the soil by Dohar, Anindya Chatterjee, Surojit Chatterjee and a thrilling background score by Prabuddha Banerjee, Raktabeej taps into Durga Puja in all its hues and a lot of credit for that goes to cinematographer Pratip Mukherjee. It is THE Puja film to watch out for!
A spine-tingling roller-coaster that maintains a good pace all through, Raktabeej makes you hold your breath till the end. And with that curious twist at the final moment, you are back to popping a thrill pill. The film ends on a note that nothing ends even when curtains drop and there’s silence all over.
Verdict
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