Kaalbela
Pauli and Parambrata are excellent in Kaalbela
Goutam Ghose’s Kaalbela - it’s impossible not to dwell on Samaresh Majumdar’s original novel. While treating this formidable political tome, Ghose turns his movie into a prism.
Kaalbela is an eminently watchable film. Beautiful. Sad. Entirely credible. Through much of the understated violence there is the balladic refrain of flowing water. Of the symbolic use of the still buoy on the Ganges, unaffected by the turbulence all around. Here, on the Ganges, the two protagonists first express their love for each other. And it’s the same Ganges that at the end of the movie gets blooded by the setting sun. That can’t be a coincidence.
The acting, in spite of Kaalbela being made for television, is surprisingly natural and understated. Shantilal as Subhasda, Soumitra as Animesh’s tetchy yet lovable grandfather, Santu as the father, Anandi as Nila, Rudranil as the poet with shades of Shakti Chattopadhyay in the rendering , they are all good. But Parambrata and Pauli, as Animesh and Madhabilata, are brilliant. In two scenes, particularly , Pauli wrenches your heart.
