Page 14 - Cine Appétit Issue 01

Adrija Basu
complexities come in forefront.
A film in the fast-moving era of internet in
twenty first century portrays a remote rural
word in the middle of the mangroves, where
internet is almost a dream. What is striking is
that, though the world portrayed in the movie
is comparatively primitive, yet it is
unexpectedly progressive. Miyage, being the
lady in the relationship, does not think twice telephonic conversations are a complete failure.
before offering marriage proposal, breaking
the age-old convention of men proposing
first. Moreover, we see the protagonist’s aunt,
who is no less than a mother to him, an aged
widow of a small rural society, is far more
progressive than most of the people of the
educated metropolitan. She not only accepts a
daughter in law from a completely different
culture and religion, but also praises her time
and again. A society, where till date, women
are mostly identified with their womb or
reproductive function only, the character
played by legendary actor Moushumi, accepts
a marriage where there is no possibility of
consummation. The local people of the village
too are shown to accept this unusual wedlock
with complete love and honour.
The film is not just a fairy tale love story. different narratives, outstanding storylines and
Through Sen’s directorial craftsmanship and
Rahul Bose’s prodigious acting, the sexual,
emotional and economical frustration of
Snehamoy have been well depicted. The
character Sandhya, a widowed young lady,
THE EASTERLY ISSUE 01 | SEPT ‘20
Cine Appétit
with a child to feed, unlike Miyage, is more
relatable to the Indian rural society. Even
without the prime screen time, Raima Sen
justifies the character in all her complexities
and helplessness, with her overwhelming
performance.
One interesting fact we cannot ignore is that the
director shows that unlike over letters, their
Both fail to understand each other’s language
and dialect over phone and the conversation
fails to solve its purpose. The director here
indicates to a more important question, that
whether then, this almost perfect epistolary
marriage would have ever been successful, if
any of them managed to unite with other. The
physical and geographical distances, that
become threatening in most of the
relationships, become the working machinery
for this unique marriage.
The film is a little slow, but it never feels to be
dragged. Rahul Bose makes a wonderful
Snehamoy, bringing forth the director’s view.
Moushumi Chatterjee and Raima Sen both do
an incredible work in terms of acting. Even
Kharaj Mukherjee and Rudranil Ghosh
performances are outstanding in their short
roles. The unique blending of two cultures, and
union of two hearts without any physical
contact, this almost unbelievable love story has
been made believable by Aparna Sen’s
direction, the artist’s individual talent, and
camera work. Aparna Sen always offers
cinemas that keep on lingering far beyond the
multiplexes. I personally think Rahul Bose to be
highly underrated in terms of his presence in
the film industry. He has many a times
showcased his unprecedented talent in
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