Ek Je Chhilo Raja 2018
by
Srijit Mukherjee
The case of Bhawal Sanyasi is one of the most bizzare ones
in Indian legal history. A dead Zamindar turned up after 12 years in the garb
of a Naga sanyasi to claim his erstwhile estate ,which had been taken over the
British. This led to a long and contentious litigation extending over 16
years,right upto the Privy Council,which finally ruled that the claimant was
not an imposter . This case became a rage in Bengal,was widely discussed and generated
a lot of passion.
Srijit Mukherjee very cleverly presents the whole case,even
minor facts presented during the trial,yet avoids giving his own verdict. Was
the Bhawal Sanyasi actually a Zamindar,or a Punjabi wandering monk ? Perhaps we
will never know.
What we know is that Srijit is one of the finest filmmakers
in the country now. But he does have a tendency to impose his 21st
century biases in a period narrative . Anjan Dutta as the Sanyasi’s lawyer
talks about fellatio and clitoris in open court,then justifies his stance by
resorting to nationalistic rhetoric. Aparna Sen ,the opposing lawyer, speaks of
feminism in an area when that consciousness was not even there. Barring these
,the direction is perfect. Jisshu Sengupto is a very good actor,at ease in
whatever he does. Jaya Ehsan is a welcome addition to the cast. Anjan Dutto and
Aparna Sen are masters in their own right.
This is a very watchable film. A simple formula is that
Srijit and Jissu almost never disappoint.
Comments
Post a Comment