The Bong Connection

Anjan Dutta delivers a dud. (Bow Barracks Forever was better any day.)Totally clichéd and lacking subtlety, Bong Connection left me cold. Does Mr Dutt actually know what the usual Bong does when he/she goes to "phoren" lands these days? Parambrata, who fails miserably as an actor here, seems to get into all sorts of trouble the moment he lands there. The situations are unreal and ridiculous, and the De Niro-ish (hope the great actor doesn't ever get to watch this) over-the-top performance by the Bangladeshi taxi driver is laughable.

Halfway through, I felt Shayan Munshi would salvage the film. I could see he was trying his best, and I give the two stars to the film for his role (and also for the gorgeous Raima Sen, who sadly doesn't have much to do), and a song that he sings in a club.

You don't need much imagination to do a remix of Tagore's "paagla hawa" (and it is the "in" thing these days); yet, the director fails even in this. The song doesn't touch you, the visuals don't move you. It seemed forced, as if they were conscious they were doing something new, something great. Ha! In the end, I wished Mir had more footage: he could have tried to at least make me laugh; but laugh I did, at the immaturity of the production and the lack of intelligence of everyone involved in the making of Bong Connection.

its a film that reflects the "bong" spirit. its like on one hand you see loads of beer-bellied people just drinking for the heck of it and then there's this guy who wants to find a meaning to his life. the film made me question my so-called love for my culture.i guess now i really appreciate the culture that has been handed down.and though i may hate the communist-minded people i like the spirit.

i love shayan's character. because it takes a lot of guts to set out on a journey to discover yourself. most of us just remain stuck in the rigmarole of life.

i like the director's conception of the idea.also victor banerjee's character provides an insight into the kind of people "available" in the world.

the best is perhaps the songs.paagla hawa is the best as its been remixed to suit our needs-the needs of the young generation and yet that need to make us realize the richness of our culture remains.i don't know whether its a deliberate attempt or not.but it sure serves the purpose.

the film has its share of laughs and is an interesting watch.

I just couldn't relate to this film-everything is over-the-top & cliché-ridden. Particularly the American part is filled with the stereotypical distorted view of America many Indians have-street crime committed by minorities, homosexuals, constant drinking & throwing up, gun-toting cops shooting a fleeing suspect & the racist, homophobic Bengali-turned ugly American. And of course the Bengali girl who becomes a slutty American teenager. I doubt any American successful businessman, no matter what his real feelings are, would openly spout such racist & homophobic nonsense in this day and age. The Kolkata part wasn't that much better either, it sure gives the feeling all older generation Bengalis are losers & younger generation are all aping the West, again stereotypical characterizations. Andy-the paragon of idealism-comes off as a mixture of an idiot and a snob. One other thing. I doubt Rahul's girlfriend Sheela-with her obvious Westernized ways, would be so averse to going to America. The less said about Hasan the better. The one character I liked was Rakesh...the mixture of neither feeling he belongs in America fully, but at the same time knowing he cant go back, and dealing with both realizations is indeed something many expats go through (altho' I haven't heard the term second class citizen too many times these days). While one may forgive Andy's naiveté at thinking Kolkata is still the Baul music city of his dreams, his lecturing to people right & left about how to live comes off as annoyingly snobbish rather than an artist reaching out.

I recently saw the movie at a convention and was surprised by Dutt's effort to make a film about American characters without having any knowledge or ever living here. Its an ignorant outsider's point of view about America and NRIs (non-resident Indians). No taxi driver behaves the way the character was sketched which is unreal and overbearing. None of the characters were established properly. Everyone rushed through their individual scenes. A stereotype and cliché treatment of American characters filled the movie. Technically the movie works and gives a different feel than other Bollywood or Tollywood movies. The Calcutta story was finely depicted, perhaps because of Dutt's knowledge about the culture. However, from an American point of view, I thought the movie was rushed and made by an amateur director who does not do his homework before setting out to do a film. Dutt needs to stick to acting and leave the directing to real filmmakers.

I recently saw a work print of this film, and it was simply amazing! The film walks a fine line between comedy and drama, with plenty of great laughs and more than a few unexpected dramatic moments (and one genuine tragedy!). This film is most definitely NOT your typical Bollywood film, and that's part of what makes it so wonderful! Mr. Dutt has made one of the most insightful character-study pieces of the last twenty years! The photography is beautiful, the editing is top-notch, and the performances are wonderful! Overall, this film is one of those rare masterpieces that only a select few will ever know about, much less see, and that's a greater tragedy than anything that happens in this astounding film. If you ever get the chance to see it, don't let it slip away!