Shobdo

Mixed emotions after watching Shobdo. The film had so much potential and promise - a sort of experimentation in an unexplored domain of Indian Cinema. Sadly enough, it ends up being an educational telefilm. Kaushik Ganguly plays it too safe; he does not go beyond the uniqueness of the story and push the boundaries of conventionality like other celebrated maverick filmmakers would have done. Technically, the film is near-flawless. The sound designer duo of Anirban Sengupta and Dipankar Chaki create an ambiance of surreal magic. Mainak Bhoumik's editing deserves a special mention too. The camera work of Sirsha Ray is spectacular in some scenes, especially the haunting dreamscape where Ritwik is confronted by Victor, which is so European in its treatment. The acting is a huge let-down. Victor Banerjee is completely wasted. Ritwik is quite impressive as long as he keeps his mouth shut, in fact his blank stares and maniacal intensity with the sound-props are his only redemptive qualities in the film. Raima Sen seems to be watching Ekta Kapoor serials too intently these days. Churni Ganguly can boast of being the only actor to outdo Nana Patekar when it comes to mannerisms. The dialogues are extremely amateurish and do not have that killer punch. The screenplay is static with the story progressing in a repetitive loop. And, the climax is so abrupt and out-of-sync, almost like a fake orgasm.