Unishe April

Well for starters, I do not comprehend Bengali..Still I was compelled to watch this national award winning epic..The story is simple, but layers of complexity in the lead characters is evident..Was just blown away by the performances of both Debashree Roy and Aparna Sen..the conversations between the mother-daughter is extremely well etched..There is an inherent freshness in the movie..mostly because of the splendid cinematography..

Unfortunately, India is associated with Bollywood..Maybe its time to check out the so-called parallel cinema movement in India..Unishi April is one such gem that you cannot refuse..

Almost being a good translation of 'Autumn Sonata' by Ingmar Bergman, it gave the space and gateway to Ghosh and really set the mood in front of audiences about what Ghosh is going to make in the coming years. People say that 90's was the darkest time for indian cinema - not only bollywood, but regional ones too - and art filmmakers from every state was trying their hard to make experimental films more communicable and big budgeted movies with more vocal camera, art and editing. Unishe April was one of those torch bearers. Entirely shot in indoor sets, its script give the actors enough screen time and more than enough dialogues. And the actors, mainly the leads - Debashree Roy and Aparna Sen - filled those sets with their acting skills. This style was much unique then and stayed with Ghosh until he moved to the new, more expressive storytelling.

It's a movie which shows how little resource is needed to make a good movie. Almost the whole movie happens in a house. With only a few actors (only three prominent). It shows the capability of a talented writter and director "Rituporno Ghosh".

Sarojini(Aparna Sen) is a famous dancer whose profound dedication to the dance-floor causes the widening of a cleavage between her daughter and herself following death of her husband. Is she happy with her career and success? Has she found a substitute in the character of Dipankar De?

Aditi(Deboshree Roy) is a young doctor making all possible preparations to build a home away from her celebrity dancer-mother. She is convinced that Sarojini has forgotten all about her father since he died about 20 years ago. Correct isn't she? In this world her mother is wrong and her father was wronged. Will this ICE ever break? The film starts in the morning and ends the following morning.The film starts on 19th April. 19th April- the day when Aditi's father and Sarojini's husband died.

This movie gives you an insight of a scattered family and the way the director has projected this upon it's audience is absolutely amazing, though I felt like the crying of Debashree Roy was too much but the acting was right up to the mark.

It gives you a sense of care for your family even if there's hatred filled in for it and somehow we all want a happy ending and closeness for the characters.