Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti
RATING
Introduction
Lets begin this review with a rant. It is often said that men and women have equal opportunity in our society, be it in Education or Obtaining a Job or otherwise. But now is it? For atleast 3-4 days every month, women have to endure a lot of pain due to their periods whereas no such natural phenomena is valid for men. So how can you call it a level playing field when it isn’t one from the beginning as well. This society is indeed patriarchal, infact it is so deeply imbedded in our psyche that the very fact that I may be countered here on this very point. The society literally is known to preach women on what to where and what not to where, whether to roam around the streets at any given point of time or not, or even setting up marriage for their daughter against their own wishes. All this while men(not all, just generalising here) have all the priviledges to do whatever they wish to without being preached or rather taught to respect women from a very young age. When it comes to movies there have been two which have stood out this year, The Malayalam Film The Great Indian Kitchen and the Hindi Short Natkhat that really bring out the right essence of patriarchy. While doing my round of research I came across this Bengali Film Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti which seemed to tackle a similar subject. Infinally watched it on Hoichoi and here are my two cents on it.
Story & Screenplay
Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti follows the story of a young woman who wishes to be a priest like her father. What seems like an easy path, is actually filled with obstacles as she has to go against the wishes and norms of her household and the society. The story is quite relevant and really deserves to be told. The screenplay is pretty well written as well. It smartly tackles the perception of the society and brings out the essence of the story quite well. While the first half is breezy comprising of a sweet love story amidst the introduction of characters and the values that they bestow, the second half brings the actual story of fighting against the odds yo ultimately achieving the goal. On the downside, the second half seems to be slightly dragged, there are a few repetitive scenes which could have been avoided altogether. And at times to things get a little preachy instead of keeping the message a little subtle. But these are minor flaws in a well written screenplay that really ends on a good note.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are quite well written and leave a lasting impact. Plus Bengali being such a sweet language really helped its cause. The music is quite good and melodious, the BGM does its bit to heighten the drama. Director Aritra Mukherjee has done a stupendous job here by really bringing out the right message to the fore.
Performances
The performances are truely excellent. Manasi Sinha as Gurudasi and Soma Chakraborty as Amrabati are both fabulous to watch and they are two actor who did well to feed off each other. Soham Majumdar as Bikram is wonderfully restrained and a silent support to his onscreen wife. Such an endearing character and very well portrayed too. But the star of the show is Ritabhari Chakraborty as Shabari who almost single-handedly anchors this film. She looks every bit of her character and the way she chants hymns, it has the potential to send you in a trance! This was truely an acting masterclass by the young actor!
Conclusion
Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti is highly relevant with stupendous performances that will keep you engaged throughout. Available with English Subtitles on Hoichoi and without subtitles on Hotstar.