Maach Mishti & More

As the title aptly suggests, Maach Mishti & More is an urban saga that revolves around a typical Bengali household in Kolkata. The movie revolves around three brothers and their love life as well as portraying the household problems, love, hope, despair and family values in the background of the present day Kolkata. Mainak Bhowmick is successful in capturing the struggle between old and new ideas. The coolest person of the family is their 'dadu' (grandfather) Soumitra Chatterjee; Rony (Parambrata), has done an excellent job. Anubrata (Raju) is youngest and probably the wisest brother in the family and wants to be an actor. Everything about the movie is really good from dialogue delivery to the simple yet intriguing script except perhaps the part played by Souvik (Rahul) as the eldest of the three brothers who has just came back from America to start a restaurant of his own. Well, Souvik was trying a little bit too hard (read 'over acting') and that weird Bengali pronunciation is really irritating. Overall the movie is really good and definitely worth watching.

I must say this is one of the finest movies I have seen from Bengal. It has wits. It has tons of fun and a message and that is what counts. No trying to give out messages for the sake of show off... The film is a story about brothers in essence like Hannah and her sisters. It is a true tribute to Woody Allen. The film is a major romantic comedy and possibly the first for an Indian Language film. Im not a big fan of Indian movies but this worked for me all the way I must say. I felt the boy who played the younger brother was a revelation and all the performances were up to the mark including the young girl in the short hair was splendid but the makers of the film were the true stars.

To be honest, being a non-resident Bong, I am not really into Bengali films. I searched out this title, simply to see Swastika Mukherjee. But I was quite disappointed, so to say. After Bhooter Bhabishyat, where she had created a riot with her stunning performance of Kadalibala, here she has no significant role, and also appeared overweight..

Anyway, to go back to the film, its similarity to The Bong Connection is far too great, to be ignored. Of course, The Bong Connection was much better, as regards plot, star cast, music and overall treatment. Here, the males are portrayed as confused and selfish. The females are sexually frustrated. The Bengali vs Marwari conflict is overdone. The film has no message and no artistic appeal. The star cast is wasted. The music is insipid. As a whole, the film has no re-watch value. Sorry.

In the beginning, I was not so keen on watching the movie until I actually started watching it. The plot revolves around a typical Bengali family, an NRI couple returning home, lads struggling with their love lives. Then, there's the drift between the Marus and Bongs! All those that make up Kolkata.

The movie has a lot of typical Bengali one-liners as well as comedy scenes. All the actors did a great job. I absolutely loved the modern, advising Soumitra Chatterjee in the movie. Parambrata's role was hilarious and Swastika perfectly laid out the role of the NRI housewife.

Having left Kolkata behind 2 years ago, this movie brought tears to my eyes. Every moment, I felt like I'm back home. Forget the loopholes and just bask in the joy of seeing Kolkata once again.

Just watched it on YouTube, it's a really nice movie. Great script, good pace, wonderful acting, crisp storytelling, good camera and music...and Kolkata as a backdrop.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. There is a palpable sense of intelligence and sensibility in it that pushes it beyond the ordinary. It's a simple story of life and times of people like you and me, but then to quote Da Vinci - "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". Don't miss it if you enjoy the works of Hrishikesh Mukeherjee, Basu Chatterjee and like..it is similar stuff, just more contemporary.