The Examined Life. Review on Anuranan Movie

Anuranan(resonance) is a bengali film dubbed and released in hindi.

I saw this film after reading 2 newspaper reviews. Khalid Mohammed clearly thought he had nothing to lose and rubbished it vehemently giving it a rating of 1 star. Nikhat Kazmi gave it 3.5 stars and praised it. KM is one critic I have seriously disliked since he wrote for the Times – his reviews are either sycophantic(to the powerful) or vicious(to those who are newcomers). It is all about his own biases. Still, his acerbic wit is often read-worthy. This once I thought it would be interesting to see how wrong or right he was(in my opinion).

Unfortunately KMs review had its impact and I caught myself looking for all those pretentious name-droppings he wrote about. It is definitely there but not in the distracting way I thought it would be. If I was distracted it was only for having read the silly review. In Monsoon Wedding Mira Nair artfully places a riposte to the statement “you Punjabis are so ostentatious”. It is “you Bengalis are so pretentious”. Both are generalizations about the two linguistic communities that I think most of us actually agree with. In an article by the editor of a Kolkata based newspaper, the writer says that he was vastly amused by a letter that had been written to him and signed “ a group of intellectuals”. It could happen only in Kolkata. They would actually see nothing weird about branding themselves intellectuals.

When I saw the film I did often feel like I was looking at a set of characters who surely are far from real? Rahul gives meaningful insights on life to his Dictaphone at any given moment. He reads out “darling buds of may” to his wife as they stroll around. They casually and routinely have these intensely emotional and searching conversations with each other. Initially there is a sense of self-conscious romanticizing that is sometimes very eeps! Yet slowly but surely the characters assert themselves and you forget to judge them.

There’s Rahul Bose as Rahul Chaterjee – a creative person(!) working as an architect in London. As you may have guessed he is a sensitive guy who is tuned in to the small pleasures of life. He is very much in love with his wife Nandita played by Rituparna Sengupta. They move to Calcutta where Rahul decides to take up base for a project in the Kanchenjunga.

Rahul’s colleague in marketing is played by Rajat Kapoor. The insensitive capitalist that he is, he ignores his wife and her emotional needs. His wife, played by Raima Sen, is the poetic types. She clearly has more to say to Bose than to her husband. The two couples and their interactions make up this film. An unexpected ending really bolsters the film but the pace could be trying for those not really into experimenting with films.(Though I have a feeling Bengalis would totally “get” the film).

Raima as the repressed yet impulsively willful wife is fine and at times deftly overcomes the awkward moments in the storytelling. Rahul Bose is bankable as ever. I like Rituparna and might be biased but I thought she was excellent as the beautiful, womanly, muse.(And that’s despite the annoyingly high-pitched dubbing in hindi.) And as usual I really liked Rajat Kapoor for his effortless performance.

All the landscapes shot through warm filters in England and the just-see-and-gasp majesty of the Himalayas actually  perk you up. The film steers clear of realism in its phototgraphy and though it is not kuchh kuchh hota hai, it is still determinedly pretty. Which suits the film quite well.

Incidentally, more husbands like Rahul Bose would leave women wondering. I mean he is so in touch with his feminine side, so understanding and caring. He makes even the perfectly affable Rajat Kapoor look deficient. But seriously, the film, unlike hindi films, treats the very real problem of communication between couples like a serious one. Raima may seem whimsical but she is the one the film empathises with. The film validates emotionalism and justifies the woman’s need for closeness. It reminded me of a poem by Matthew Arnold – Dover Beach, where the poet tells his wife that they at least should have enough faith in each other to overcome the scary faithlessness of the world.

The movie is worth a watch for its insistent exhorting to delve into the nuances of life – whether it means connecting with nature or bonding with your loved ones. It is not a subtle film at that. There are however some moments which are toasty-warm and real. It leaves you wanting to indulge your poetic self and that, I think is a pretty good reason for watching the film.