Kashmakash reviews

So our very own bengali babu, Rituparno Ghosh is back! And that too with another Rabindranath Tagore's penned literature inspiration for the movie ... read more

So our very own bengali babu, Rituparno Ghosh is back! And that too with another Rabindranath Tagore's penned literature inspiration for the movie goers this weekend. The director's fetish on the Nobel laureates literature seems to be going unnoticed. So, the team of Rituparno Ghosh and Subhash Ghai have selected one of the famous works of Tagore titled as Nouka Dubi I Bengali or Kashmakash in Hindi.
The movie is set in 1920's Bengal region and tells the story of character named Ramesh played by Jisshu Sengupta and Susheela played by Riya Sen. The two have been forced to marry, though the grooms heart is stuck on Hem Nalini played by Raima Sen. Plot becomes complex when it turns out that Susheela is after all a lady named Kamala who is wife of someone named Neel Naksha Choudhury played by Prosenjit Chatterjee. So, the righteous Ramesh sets out to reunite the two. And as it the story goes, the rest is all about the journey and its effect on Rameshs life.

The true Bengali portrayal had been carried out to the T, and so are the actors who have well known Bengali roots. The Sen sisters are no alien to the Bengal and so are the male characters of the movie, making it a perfect role for everybody to play. The soft melodies and lilting background music by the team of Raja Narayan Deb and Sanjoy Das is befitting the storyline. Though I must say the pace of the movie slow and even drags at times which makes it a tiring task for audience to stay in their seats. Probably the chance is that people would overlook this cinema compilation over the most awaited Johnny Depps Pirates of the Caribbean 4. But still the hope has to be kept alive that some rare soul will appreciate all the hard work that went in making the film.

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I am not a stickler for mellow romantic drama and I found it difficult to instantly like this film. I however believe that it would be erroneous to... read more

I am not a stickler for mellow romantic drama and I found it difficult to instantly like this film. I however believe that it would be erroneous to be judgemental, because this kind of cinema has an audience of its own.

Dubbed from a Bengali film which is in itself inspired from Tagore, Kashmakash tells the story of four people who, as luck would have had it have intertwined lives. Hemnalini (Raima) and Ramesh love each other, but Ramesh marries someone else under pressure from his family. As luck would have it, they meet with an accident when the young couple's boat capsizes and Ramesh finds himself marooned on a shore with Kamala (Riya). Now since Ramesh had never seen his own wife and Kamala is dressed as a bride, he automatically believes her to be the one. Meanwhile, Hemnalini learns about her lover's marriage and falls in love with Nalinaksha, who is actually Kamala's husband.

While the story is a typical melodrama about human relationships, much rests on the treatment. Here, Rituparno-da creates an authentic atmosphere of Bengal from older times, by way of dressing sense and sets. By way of performances too, the actors play their parts well however at times they seem to be unrealistic and overtly dramatic. It is hard to imagine Riya Sen as a tormented woman. The sorrow and the suffering depicted in the film also make it a slightly less entertaining and somewhat painful watch, and will appeal only to the intellectual Bong in his/her native language. Raima Sen however takes most of the accolades feeling remarkably natural; she already comes experienced in artsy cinema and knows exactly what to do in these situations.

Although I haven't read the book nor do I have any working knowledge of Bengali literature, I have heard that the film takes liberal digressions from the actual story which might offend Tagore afficionados, the primary audience for the film.

Final word ? - Meant for leisurely viewing by audiences over 30 who are ready to give time to watch this intense outing. And perhaps overlook the creative differences from Rabindra nath's actual Nauka Dubi. view less

I happened to watch Rituparno Ghosh's 'Nouka Dubi' (the original Bengali language version of Kashmakash) at IFFI Goa last year. Accompanying me for... read more

I happened to watch Rituparno Ghosh's 'Nouka Dubi' (the original Bengali language version of Kashmakash) at IFFI Goa last year. Accompanying me for the screening was a fellow MJ and voracious reader Smita Vyas Kumar, who as luck would have it had read Tagore's book from which the movie had been adapted. Smita's sharp observations about the illogical departures from the literary source material only gave me a clearer picture about how Ghosh had obviously missed the boat on this one.

From a little bit of online research I found out that this isn't the first time the Tagore book has been adapted for the big screen & not even having watched the earlier adaptations I can't compare them with this one. But having watched Rituparno Ghosh's previous work I can see the same type of pretentiousness permeate his work this time around too.

Ramesh (Jishu Sengupta) & Hemnalini (Raima Sen) are madly in love with each other. Ramesh however is called upon to return to his village and marry a young girl whom his father has chosen as the bride. Ramesh relents but is emotionally blackmailed into ultimately marrying her. After the wedding, Ramesh & his bride (whom he hasnt seen yet) set out to Calcutta by a boat across the river. A storm capsizes the boat and Ramesh awakes along the riverbed, calling out his bride by her name, Susheela. He manages to find a woman (Riya Sen) unconscious lying by the riverside dressed like a bride and who responds to him instantaneously. Assuming it's Susheela (even though she keeps on calling herself Kamala) he takes her along back to Calcutta but falters when it comes to revealing the truth to Hemnalini. Soon however the truth emerges to Hemnalini and her family. On a trip to Kashi trying to find a way to repair the emotional pain, Hemnalini comes across a doctor, Nalinaksha (Prosenjit) and sparks begin to fly. He too is recovering fro heartbreak over his to-be-bride who never turned up for the wedding. While all four people seem to have made peace with their lives, a new twist puts them all on collision course all over again.

The plot I've placed is a little simplified version of the movie's and far too simplified of that of the book. Though I liked the narrative style and pacing the movie, the way scenes have been constructed and the camera work coupled with the background score turned me off. The emphasis on unrealistic and over-dramatized portrayal of emotions, particularly pain, seemed so overdone that it just didn't strike a chord. Infact it induced a few chuckles in places. The dialogues which may sound good on paper are ruined by the wave of over-dramatization.

The acting too suffers thanks to all too obvious expressions of sorrow & pain which all the actors are asked to display by trying to maintain strained expressions or a dead-pan searing look in their eyes, staring longingly at the camera or into the distance. Nothing is subtle here; everything is played up to the crowds under the guise of being an art-film.

I'd say avoid the movie all together and instead look for Tagore's book or try searching for the original movie adaptations. view less

Lets not beat around the bush.Even though 'Kashmakash' is based on a short story of Rabindranath Tagore yet it pushes your patience to the extreme ... read more

Lets not beat around the bush.Even though 'Kashmakash' is based on a short story of Rabindranath Tagore yet it pushes your patience to the extreme frontiers to keep seated till the very end of the film. Not everyone can endure this film and I can confess that almost half a dozen times even I was tempted to sneak out of the theater. No matter which way you choose to look at this film Kashmakash is certainly not a film for the masses. It is for a select audience who has all the endurance and will-power to keep glued to the seat so that they can be counted amongst the masses.

Had producer Subhash Ghai stuck to the original title 'Nauka Doobi' it would have been a far apt title for the film that truly drowned at the box-office no sooner it set sailing on uncertain waters. This bi-lingual film made in Hindi-Bengali has a cast that may draw in crowds in Bengal as it boasts of names like heavyweight Dhritman Chatterjee, Prasonjeet Chatterjee along with the Ren sisters Raima & Riya Sen with Jishu Sengupta but for the Bollywood audience they are absolute strangers. So if anyone could attract the audience it was Subhash Ghai pouring in his money as the producer and Gulzar as the lyricist with the credentials of Rituparno Ghosh having universal appeal.

Even though the short story penned by Rabindranath Tagore set in the early 1920's has an appeal to it not many can connect with it in present times. There is a genuine appeal to the film that has been captured but sadly there are no buyers. That era may have nostalgia but few can connect with it in spite of best of intentions. All said and done Kashmakash is a thumping flop at the box-office as no audience turned up to watch this film and quite frankly you cannot blame the audience for keeping away as the film was released bang into the IPL season.

The only USP of this film is the magnetic presence of Raima & Riya Sen in the same film that has happened only once before and over here it is really hard to tell which of them is actually better. even though lots of people would instinctively back Raima as a better actress yet I would say Riya Sen has given quite a moving performance and shut up her critics as she wins hearts with her standing apart performance. Not that Raima Sen is any less than Riya having done at least two films with Rituparno Ghosh in the past.

Jishu Sengupta is a law student in Calcutta who is madly in love with Raima Sen and is poised to marry her soon but circumstances take an odd swing as back home his father has given his word and thus the hapless lawyer is forced to marry Susheela but on his way back his ship meets with a terrible storm and he lands on a deserted shore unconscious and half dead as his 'Nauka had drowned. Seeing a newly wed bride also unconscious he assumes she is his bride as he had never seen her face before he brings her home little realising that she is not his Susheela but actually Kamla the wife of a Bengali doctor from Kashi.

Circumstances take a sudden turn when Raima's father also arrives with her in Kashi with his love lorn daughter to give her life some change and also recover himself. There circumstances bring the lawyer and the doctor face to face with each others wife entangled with the others husband. The climax reveals how the emotional trauma is finally resolved.

Even though Kashmakash can appeal to the elite audience in Bengal else where Subhash Ghai's Nauka has indeed Doobi at the box-office. I found the film to give even a snail a complex the way it dragged but if there was anything in it for me it was Riya Sen being pitted against her sister Raima and actually giving a performance that went quite against her grain thus proving that given a decent role she too can deliver a performance worth relishing!!!

REVIEWED BY THE LIP SHANDIL
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Kashmakash good movie

Awsom story.i watch it last monday at new empire.Its bengali version is "NAUKO DUBI"

A sensitive story by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, released around his 150th birth anniversary, Kashmakash (dubbed from Bengali film, Naukadoobi) is... read more

A sensitive story by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, released around his 150th birth anniversary, Kashmakash (dubbed from Bengali film, Naukadoobi) is a fitting tribute. view less

Art movie

A perfect time to release Kashmakash as it's the 150th birth anniversary year of Rabindranath Tagore. This is a dubbed version of Rituparno Ghosh's... read more

A perfect time to release Kashmakash as it's the 150th birth anniversary year of Rabindranath Tagore. This is a dubbed version of Rituparno Ghosh's film Nauka Dubi based on Rabindranath Tagore's novel. view less

Almost two decades ago, a number of people had reservations when Mani Ratnam's Tamil film ROJA was being dubbed into Hindi. The purists were of the... read more

Almost two decades ago, a number of people had reservations when Mani Ratnam's Tamil film ROJA was being dubbed into Hindi. The purists were of the opinion that the essence would be lost in the process. When released, ROJA was hailed by the Hindi speaking audience as well. We also woke up to the genius of A.R. Rahman with this film. So why am I discussing ROJA now? Well, there has been a similar outrage when Subhash Ghai decided to dub Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film NAUKA DUBI in Hindi.

Agreed, it makes good marketing sense to dub a film in Hindi since one reaches out to a wider audience in the process, but are we losing out on the film's ethnic flavor in the process? A few feel that it should have ideally been released in Bengali. Those who don't understand the language could have watched it with sub-titles in Hindi or English. But another school of thought feels, why should the Hindi audience be deprived of cinema based on Tagore's work? This debate would be never-ending, I guess.

'Naukadubi', a novel by Rabindranath Tagore, has had its cinematic interpretations in the past. A Hindi-Bengali film was made in 1947 by the much revered film-maker Nitin Bose, which starred Abhi Bhattacharya in the Bengali version and Dilip Kumar in the Hindi version. Thereafter, in 1960, Ramanand Sagar's GHUNGHAT had the same script. It's one of the most fascinating stories ever told on a delicate subject.

With KASHMAKASH, Rituparno Ghosh relives the magical imagery of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The delicate relationships and the drama have been beautifully presented on celluloid by this accomplished storyteller. Also, the film captivates the audience and transports them to a transcendent world, to an era most of us have no clue of. In fact, the film is a treat for aficionados of qualitative cinema who yearn for interesting stories to unfold on screen.

A tender romance blossoming in Kolkata between law student Ramesh [Jishu Sengupta] and Hemnalini [Raima Sen] is nipped suddenly when his father sends an urgent summon from his village home. There, the dutiful son is ordered to marry Susheela, daughter of a hapless widow. Ramesh refuses, confesses that his heart belongs to another. But the widow's fervent plea softens him ultimately. And he concedes, albeit with a heavy heart. The wedding takes place and Ramesh sets out with his bride on a river boat journey back to Kolkata.

Soon a fierce storm arises; the boat tosses helplessly and finally capsizes in the churning waters. Ramesh regains consciousness. Some distance away, he sees the unconscious form of a young bride. Her pulse is still beating and in response to his voice calling 'Susheela', she opens her eyes at last. There is no one else in sight, alive or dead. The two embark on a train to Kolkata.

Hem, his true love, knows nothing of all this. Ramesh has been missing from the evening of her birthday party. They have learnt of his hasty departure, but nothing else. Though she pines inwardly, she is confident that he will return soon.

Back in Ramesh's new home in Kolkata, the facts of mistaken identity gradually come to light. She is Kamala [Riya Sen], not Susheela. Her husband is a doctor named Nalinaksha [Prosenjit]. Ramesh writes an advertisement to trace his whereabouts, but he does not have the heart to break this news to the helpless, trusting young girl in his care. He puts her into a boarding school instead. But soon, Hem's would be suitor Akshay comes to know of Ramesh's secret and brings proof to Hem. Ramesh, unable to handle such a scandal, leaves Kolkata with Kamala.

A devastated Hem is brought to Kashi by her father [Dhritiman Chatterjee] to help her forget the past. There she meets Nalinaksha and they warm up to each other. Kamala, in the meanwhile, having read the advertisement in an old newspaper, realizes the enormity of the lie she has been living and walks out determined to drown herself in the river. Ramesh returns and finds her suicide note, searches everywhere to no avail. He does not know that she has been rescued and is now in Kashi under Nalinaksha's mother's care. Kamala now sees her real husband for the first time, but cannot speak up, for he is betrothed to Hem.

Finally, the advertisement she keeps knotted in her saree is discovered and the whole truth comes to light. Ramesh finally traces Nalinaksha and arrives at his house.

The first thing that caught my attention while watching KASHMAKASH was its powerful content. It was broadminded and progressive during that era. But the question is, is there a place for a theme like the one in KASHMAKASH in mainstream cinema? In Mumbai, there's a tendency to classify such themes as art house cinema. But a film like KASHMAKASH has to be seen as a sign of progressive cinema rather than conventional or offbeat.

Rituparno brings together the grand-daughters of the legendary Suchitra Sen, Raima and Riya, together for the first time. While Raima is, as always, incredible, pitching in a super performance, it is Riya who catches your attention; a complete revelation. This film will make people notice her talent. Jishu is a fine actor and he proves his prowess in a challenging role. Prosenjit enacts his part very well. Dhritiman Chatterjee excels.

Dubbing is almost perfect, although the voiceover for Riya's character could've been better. The songs in Hindi have been penned by Gulzar, while the soundtrack is in sync with the mood of the film. Cinematography is top notch.

On the whole, KASHMAKASH is an exemplary piece of work that deserves to be taken to an expansive gamut of spectators. However, it will be relished more by the evolved and progressive audience, those who wish to watch a new story unfold on screen.
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