Hirer Angti

One of my favourite childhood movies when the name of Rituparno Ghosh was foreign to me and so could not bias my appreciation while I watched it. It was also one of those movies that I had watched before reading the actual story written by Shirshendu. Infact when I later read it, I was again marvelling at the author’s creativity and at the same time marvelled at the director’s nice touch of originality that kept the theme of the story undisturbed though the finishing was quite deviated from the written version. So it was good to see that the movie was now available at the stores in CD version and I purchased one of the copies just a few days ago.
The story can be categorized as a children’s story but the nicety of the plot and the classic direction have made it likeable to all ages. Of all the actors that have performed in the movie, the acting of Jnyanesh is marvelously natural but the use of Dipankar Dey’s (my wife pointed out this to me while I was trying to figure out whose voice was used to dub that of Ayan’s) voice in some of the scenes can’t be justified as such. Basanta Choudhury fitted into his role well but the age of Barun Chanda should have been further toned down for a more realistic effect. Ayan himself seemed to be meant for his role well and excelled in the characterization and Dulal Lahiri also was casted perfectly.
The story is about a Ratanlal Bannerjee, once a priest for a band of outlaws, who accidentally tumbled across a treasure trove and offered it to the leader of the bandits, Ramdulal. But it so happened that some of the members of the band turned rebels and tried to kill Ramdulal and his only successor, his grandson. As they escaped, Ramdulal left the treasure with Ratanlal with the promise that if within 30 years time he or his grandson do not come to claim the wealth, it will pass on to the priest’s family. To keep the promise alive two of Ramdulal’s bodyguards, Swet and Lohit used to visit the Ratanlal once a year to identify the grandson in case of Ramdulal’s death is reported and he turns up. Panchu, the priest’s servant was also the witness of this promise. After these, 29 years had gone by, Ratanlal had used some of the wealth to make his living though at heart he always remembered the promise and looked forward to the day when he will surrender all his wealth to Ramdulal or his grandson, whom he considered the rightful owners of the property. On the final day of the 30th year, coinciding with Mahalaya in that year, there arrived a young man of the name Gandharbakumar, a nice and likeable youth, who claimed himself to be Ramdulal’s grandson. Though it shook Ratanlal to the core but he prepared to tell his sons and their respective families the dark secret that he so long kept hidden from them. Thus it remained to be seen what happens to Ratanlal’s family in this sudden turn of events and whether Gandharbakumar can reclaim his treasure.
On the whole the movie is quite enjoyable and remains an all time favourite for me though at some places, its pace seemed to slacken unnecessarily. The director must also be praised for criticality in detailing that many pays less attention to on the excuse of a children’s movie.