Rating :***
Writer-director Anjan Dutt's second release in two weeks, after
"Bong Connection", is not as powerful and poignant a portrait
of the rapidly disintegrating Anglo-Indian community in Kolkata
as Aparna Sen's "36 Chowringee Lane".
Sen's film had a hauntingly intimate quality to its tragic theme
of a woman's solitude and emotional exploitation.
"Bow Barracks Forever" is more raunchy and scathing.
The spoken word is constantly harsh and the songs, composed partly
by the director, cheer up only for a few seconds.
The film, based on a real life story, shows the trials and tribulations
of the Anglo-Indian community living in Bow Barracks - an old dilapidated
building in north Kolkata.
The narrative largely scans the decaying tenement with ruthless
directness. A lack of romantic yearning translated into the presence
of a captivating candour.
What the saucy screenplay lacks is subtlety. The characters are
as broadly bravura as they are uninhibited in their expressions.
The one tenement in Anjan Dutt's plot seems to encompass characters
of every kind - from the rebellious housewife (Moon Moon Sen) to
the battered wife (Neha Dubey) and from the footloose boy (Clayton
Rodgers) who sneaks into Neha's bed to the strong and dignified
mother (Lilette Dubey) who continues to believe that her elder son
will call her to Australia though he hasn't spoken to her for four
years.
And somewhere towards the end the gifted Roopa Ganguly shows up
as an abandoned wife seeking solace from her husband.
These are real people given that cinematic tweak which separates
the mannequins from the flesh-and-blood types.
The cinematography by Indranil Mukherjee gives the characters a
life beyond the screenplay. The editing though could have been crisper
as some of the situations tend to get really monotonous.
The skyline of the screenplay is ceaselessly scattered with salacious
titbits. Lovemaking scenes come on with energetic emphasis to remind
us derelict lives need not be dull.
Standing tall and stately at the centre of this awry universe of
disoriented people is Lilette Dubey.
What an actor! Lilette plays her character with delicious abandon.
And yet there's restrain and dignity in her gait and language.
The other imposing performance comes from the irrepressible Victor
Banerjee. After seeing him do small roles in "Tara Rum Pum"
and "Apne" it's a joy to watch the veteran actor essay
a twinkle-eyed trumpet player who chuckles loudly in the face of
adversity. He even asks Lilette for a little kiss just to remind
you that life goes on ... come what may.
Another tale of inspirational deprivation? Not quite. "Bow
Barracks Forever" turns the marginal stereotypes into something
distinctly glorious, if not grand.
A must-see for those who love stories about tribulation and redemption.
