Relationships and human interactions are not straightforward. All relationships cannot,should not and need not be placed within socially defined labels. But the jet-like speed of technology on the information highway has made communication between and among people even more complex,almost dominating normal interactions like face-to-face communication or communicating through letters. The impact of virtual communication through social media networks like Facebook and Twitter on people and their relationships is the core message of Atanu Ghosh’s Takhan Teish. How this happens is subtly depicted from Tamadeep’s perspective. His relationships with the four women in his life changes within 48 hours on his 23rd birthday in Takhan Teish.
Tamadeep,a brilliant young doctor,has around 1000 virtual friends on Facebook and Twitter. Direct communication is not his cup of tea. His erotic fantasies find him purging in sleazy cinema halls watching soft-porn films from the South when he is not in the private hospital where he works. He is obsessed by Mohini (Paoli Dam),a dusky,sensual beauty,the leading lady of some of these films. He seeks and finds warmth in his Facebook friend,Sriparna (Aparajita Ghosh-Das) and tells her about how and why his relationship with his mother Sraboni (Tanushri Shankar) is fractured because she had driven Meghna (Indrani Haldar) his biology teacher,out of his life several years ago. He confides about this obsession for Mohini to a counsellor on an FM Channel,not knowing that it is the same Meghna with whom he had discovered a bonding. How does his relationships with these four women change within the brief span of 48 hours? The answers are found through the film’s non-linear structure,closing on Tamadeep’s 27th birthday in a different space,with a different relationship in a different mood.
The incidents evolve from the characters in the story,each one completely distanced from the other. They unfold in an unobtrusive narrative in keeping with the character of its protagonist Tamodeep. The camera (Soumik Haldar) wanders through open spaces,placing Tamadeep in perspective,into the dark and almost sinister interiors of Sandipan (Rajatabha Dutta) who is also a Facebook addict and invites his female Facebook friends occasionally into his hide-out. At times,it closes in on the grumpy,accusing face of Shampa Dasgupta/Mohini on her hospital bed as it focusses brightly on her romping figure in skimpy glitter on the big screen. Rocket Mandal and Mayook Bhowmick’s music is as low-key and subtle as is the film itself. The editing is smooth and slow,cutting back and forth more in terms of characters and settings than in terms of time. The costume designer and the stylist have been extremely imaginative in giving specific looks to the main characters. Megha is fashionably ethnic with a chic hairstyle. Sriparna is usually dressed in capris and floral-printed frocks with a casual hairdo. Shampa wears simple outfits perhaps to undercut her itsy-bitsy dresses that she wears in her soft-porn flicks. Srabanti wears Bengal cotton saris and a bun for a hairdo. Indraneel Ghosh’s art direction deserves kudos.
Jisshu Sengupta as Tamadeep expresses the dual shades of his character very well where speech is redundant except in voice-overs and acting is mainly through body and face. Sriparna,easily the most interesting character in the film,is infused with the energy,enthusiasm and courage in just the right measure by Aparajita Ghosh-Das. Indrani Haldar portrays Meghna with dignity and distance suited to the character’s personality. Paoli,who can emote very eloquently with her face and eyes,portrays the schizophrenic personalities of Shampa/Mohini very well indeed while Rajatabha is wonderful as Sandipan,tellingly bringing to life the truth of the saying — appearances are deceptive. Tanushree Shankar as Tamadeep’s mother is impressive.
Why Mohini flew down to Kolkata when she has no home and no one to come back to are not explained. This was necessary to give some logic to her the relationship with Tamadeep. The solid structuring however,is somewhat marred by the weak climax and leaves several unanswered questions. Firstly,why did Ghosh have to fall back on a tragic back story in Sandipan’s life to whitewash the dark shades he is painted with in the beginning? A man can just be a good man per se. And secondly,the somewhat dramatic,Hindi-film-like closure,which this critic would not like to reveal here,leaves much to be desired.
Rating:****
Four stars for acting,costume and styling,cinematography and direction.
