Autograph

This film, though stemming from a novel idea, was not well-executed. The screen-play lacked conviction and the direction much needed focus. In this film in an attempt to pay tribute to one of the greatest filmmakers/auteurs of all times in the world (Satyajit Ray), Mr. Mukherjee somehow lost track of what (and how much) gravity creating such a tribute demanded. Autograph is immensely rich in its approach to film theory with its subtle references to iconic European directors and films. Sadly though, it ended up being an incomplete and incoherent melange of some unexpected and mostly predictable plot twists. The myriad of sequences remain(ed) fettered in underdeveloped video vignettes devoid of artistic momentousness. This film belied Mukherjee's capabilities as a potential avant-garde Indian filmmaker!

Hollow dialogues. Terrible acting. No emotions. Stupid plot.The only good thing is the music. A film that pretends to be intellectual but isn't in any way whatsoever. Just referring to classics doesn't make a film classic.

Going by the motto of Satyajit Ray, whose screenplay this movie tried to adopt so desperately, a good movie requires a good script, taut dialogues and definitely good actors. In this movie, unfortunately, script was not original, dialogues were far from natural and other than Prosenjit, everyone else lacked professional acting abilities. Direction lacked conviction in numerous situations. Lack of good dialogues often indulged overlapping conversations of two characters, leading to a very uncomfortable vibe. Character development in some cases were very weak. The part played by Rudraprasad Sengupta needed a very sincere attention, as it was the building block of the character of the hero. Although Prosenjit was very diligent in executing his emotions, the entire sequence with Rudraprasad fell flat on its face.

Only positives that can be taken out of this movie is probably the courageous approach to produce something different out of a known cult classic of Bengali cinema, especially knowing the fact that majority audiences of Bengal hardly ever pardons a movie which dares to modify an established work of art.

First watch NAYAK (1966) then you'll understand why I wrote POOR.

Many fans of Satyajit Ray would recoil in revulsion on hearing that someone is attempting to remake one of the grandmasters movies. Of course 'Autograph' is not a remake of the great 'Nayak' but rather a tribute to it. Having been curious to what a movie like 'Nayak' would look today, I was contented with the brief glimpses of it throughout the movie. The movie didn't attempt to remake the complexities of the Nayak but wanted to pinch on the nostalgia of Nayak lovers.

Prosenjit's rendition of Uttam Kumar's most appreciated role of Arun Chatterjee was portrayed with delicate restraint as he gently snares the audience with the bewitchery of a Superstar! Indraneil Sengupta also performed his role to a viewer's satisfaction though he did lack in consistency at points. Nandana Sen looked somewhat unsure at points but as her role wasn't as complex as the male leads, one can overlook this weakness.

The music of the movie stands out the most. Songs like Beche Thakar Gaan and Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao are both well penned and placed in the movie.

Having missed the last three decades of Bengali movies, autograph presented me an excellent bridging opportunity to witness the recent development of Bangla Films.