Shibpur Film Review
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- ★
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- ★
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Shibpur Film Review
Bengali films are getting matured and how! Thanks to OTT, the Benagali audience doesnot flinch at the sight of the theatrics of Kharaj Mukherjee's mob boss Tapan striking at a man's bandaged arm or Swastika Mukherjee's Mandira stabbing her husband's killer, with a sickle. Arindam Bhattacharya’s Shibpur is a unique Bengali film, owing to its choice of genre and treatment. There are visuals that would probably be impossible to conceive in a Bengali film, even a decade ago.
That doesn't mean the violence looks like a rip-off or missfit; it doesn't. It holds up a side of the city's violent past that is rarely talked about, when gang violence was an everyday affair and police encounters were quite commonplace in certain pockets. The film gets right treatment and the storytelling has its own merits.
In the eighties’ Shibpur, Mandira’s (Swastika Mukherjee) husband, Aniruddha, who is an honest Governement officer, gets murdered right in front of her! This is because he had refused to budge under the pressure of a local gangster, Nepal Bhattacharya (Rajatava Dutta). His widow Mandira, struggles to get justice for her husband’s death, but in vain. After being led down by the police and judiciary, she reaches out to a local goon named Tapan Barik (Kharaj Mukhopadhyay) . With his help, she manages to track down her husband’s killers and kills one of them and eventually emerges as a gangster herself! Meanwhile, the Chief Minister (Sujan Mukhopadhyay) sends a capable IPS officer Sultan Ahmed ( Parambrata Chattopadhyay) , to stop the bloodshed and bring peace.
The biggest plus point of the film is acting. It is indeed a treat to watch all these powerful actors coming together. The film revolves around Mandira and Swastika as Mandira is indomitable. She makes every bit of the character real – from a grieving widow to a ruthless killer, Swastika Mukherjee dominates the screen like a lioness! Parambrata is equally brilliant and his portrayal of Sultan Ahmed, both young and aged, is flawless. Audience cannot take their eyes off Kharaj Mukhopadhyay and Rajatava Dutta. Mamata Shankar, as Jele Bedini, is the surprise package of the film and she startles us with even her small presence.
The problem of the film lies with the script. The storyline is cluttered and half-baked central characters weigh it down. The film lacks a soul. Moreover, a delayed resolution with a predictable ending makes the film 15 minutes too long. The film really does attempt to give a sense of closure to its viewers but there are simply too many questions that are left unanswered.