Cast: Koel Mullick, Kausik Sen, Ranjit Mullick, Anirban Chakrabarti, Indrajit Chakravarty Direction: Annapurna Basu Music: Jeet Gan...
Cast: Koel Mullick, Kausik
Sen, Ranjit Mullick, Anirban Chakrabarti, Indrajit Chakravarty
Direction: Annapurna Basu
Music: Jeet Gannguli
Why are daughters taken for granted by their parents? Why once married girls do cease to have an identity of their own beyond that of a wife, daughter-in-law or mother? Why do women have to compromise on their dreams for their future and suffer in silence for years on end as a consequence of their sacrifice? Why is a woman called selfish and an opportunist when she demands what is legally and rightfully hers? These are among the many issues that director Annapurna Basu questions in her debut film "Sharthopor".
Aparna Ghoshal (Koel) is a
seemingly happily married docile woman living in Kolkata with her husband
Dinesh (Indrajit) a central government employee, daughter Tukun and
widowed mother-in-law. She harbours hopes of doing a small business from home
which Dinesh casually brushes aside. When she takes out Rs 50,000 from their
joint bank account, a furious Dinesh blasts her without even giving her a
chance to explain why she needed the money. Running alongside in her life is
her affectionate relationship with her elder brother Da'Bhai Sourav Basu
(Kaushik) his wife and their two kids who reside in her parental home in
Ganganagar by the riverside, whom she visits of and on.
The first stirrings of
misgivings rise in Aparna when she sees that her brother has torn apart her old
room and is redeveloping it for a luxurious riverside homestay. She signs the
NOC Sourav thrusts at her without even reading the papers, and then gets the
shock of her life when she gets a letter to come to court to gift away her
share of her father's property to Sourav.
Caught between a husband and
a brother who have both taken her for granted, Aparna decides to fight for her
share. A furious Sourav then gives her a legal notice as a 'present' when she
comes to their house for Bhai Phonta.
Despite all the ire she is
now facing from her husband's and brother's family Aparna resolves to stick to
her decision and hunts for a lawyer who can aid her in her fight for her
dignity and identity. A lot of dirty linen is washed in court as the relations
between the siblings begin to sour beyond repair.
Does Aparna regain her
dignity, or does the brother-sister reconcile form the rest of the story.
Ranjit Mullick as lawyer GK Laha fighting Aparna's case brings the house down with his histrionics and monologue on the plight of women in India. He is the gentle father figure who gives vent to Aparna's angst, rightly understanding that the case is not a fight over property or money but one of dignity and what is right. Anirban Chakrabarti as Sourav's lawyer Tarak Halder is smart and effective as is Indrajit as Aparna's supportive husband.
Koel as Aparna gives one of
the best performances of her career as a woman who both loves her brother yet
doesn't shirk from standing up for what is right. Her perfect foil is
Kaushik Sen, oscillating between loving brother and furious son, who feels it
is his birthright to claim their father's property in full.
Music by Jeet Ganguli blends
in seamlessly with the narrative, pushing the emotional quotient.
A film to watch with your
family.
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