The concept of how the past can shape the present and the future has been a recurring one in cinema. Satyajit Das explores the notion with his latest short, which lingers, however, a bit too much towards the melodrama. Let us take things from the beginning though.
“Sesh Porjyonto” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The film begins with a high class, middle-aged woman named Poroma sitting in the balcony of her mansion, overseeing a rather large and impressive garden, listening to a record, with the lyrics of the song mirroring her thoughts, “What you have left behind oh my mind”. What her mind has left behind is soon revealed, when a man from the Home Department visits her, informing that her husband, whom she thought dead for 20 years, Abinash Chaterjee, is actually alive, although severely traumatized and suffering from intense memory loss. Poroma narrates her life story to the man, but after he leaves, it becomes obvious that the revelation has thrown both her and her current husband, Dr Tirthankar, completely off, as they watch the life they have built being shattered in the most shocking way.
It is somewhere here however, where the film becomes intently melodramatic, with the tears and the overall behaviour of the two protagonists being rather hyperbolic, while the rather cheesy music intensifies the tv soap opera sentimentalism even more, as Satyajit Das seems to lose control of his narrative.
Thankfully, his approach changes completely upon the visit of Abinash, whom the rather understanding Tirthankar welcomes in his house, giving him space to talk to his former spouse. Abinash is obviously hurt and somewhat put off, but he seems understanding, as he asks a rather repentant Porona about their daughter. The dramatic element is here once more, but his attitude is also of understanding, providing a much needed relief for the story, although the plot-twist ending somewhat dulls this impact.
Deboprasad Halder as Abinash gives a rather impactful performance here, highlighting both his trauma and his kind-heart, through his calm demeanor and his will not to cause any trouble. Nilanjana Rudra as Poroma highlights her feelings with eloquence, with the same applying to Avijit Sengupta as Tirthankar, although their performance suffers from the forced sentimentalism they exhibit in the aforementioned scene. Biswarup Chakraborty as the man from the Home Department is convincing, if a bit too offensive in his interaction with Poroma.
On the other hand, visually, the movie is exceptional. DP Sourideb Chatterjee captures the beauty of the majestic manor in the most impressive fashion, with the garden in particular, becoming one of the protagonists of the movie. Shibam Samanta’s editing retains a fitting rhythm, that allows the story to unfold nicely
Despite the cheesy sequence in the middle and the cliched ending, “Sesh Porjyonto” emerges as an interesting, beautiful short, particularly through its last part and the presence of Halder. Some restraint however, in the drama part, would definitely benefit the short.
