There’s a spark. A spark at the
point of intersection of two streams of urinating men. There’s a gross visual
of katakuti khela as these men
urinate, vernacular verbal abuses galore and lo, the spark is electrifying
enough to exchange their souls!
 |
| A still from Hawa Bodol |
Prambrata Chattopadhyay’s second
directorial venture (after a disastrous Jiyo
Kaka) is a harmless comedy of errors. A corporate ‘rascal’ Satrajit
(Parambrata) dons jackets and suits, drives an expensive car, nurtures an
always ‘angry’ wife Tanuka (Raima Sen) who is stricter than a nurse in a
primary school, and fathers a cute kid Tojo (a marvellous Kabir Bhattacharya).
An otherwise well-settled epitome of an upper class Bong family, no one knows
how he craves for more drinks and freedom until he meets his childhood friend Rajarshi
(Rudranil Ghosh). A foil to sophisticated Satrajit, Rajarshi is a Casanova, an
upcoming musician, who thrives on drinks, hash and his sharp wit. And then at a fatal moment when the two return to
their golden memories at the saheb para
on a deserted road, cursing their own lives and praying if they could exchange
the shoes, things get upturned; and the next morning arrives with their wish being granted, and then begins
the story of living another man’s life.
Reminding you of the latest
advertisement of exchanging phones, Parambrata employs an interesting idea to cater to his audience. What
follows is a series of events as they try to cope with their new lives, new
people and new avenues. Even the director’s take on old age and parents is also
treated effectively as the film proceeds. Flourishing in the entire screenplay
is Rudranil’s one-liners, tailor-made for the applauses in the theatre. The film
thrives on the interactions between the two wonderful actors, and the
supporting cast which include Sudipa Basu, Kamalika and Kaushik Ganguly (after
his brilliant elder brother portrayal in Aborto).
In the female leads, if they are to be so called, Raima Sen in her limited
screen presence is good, and so is Neha Panda.
The film is basically a ‘guy’
film, an aftermath of our Western counterparts like Hangover. An alcoholic man bent on mischief and a henpecked husband
exemplify the notions of a buddy film, apart from reasserting gender
stereotypes. However, the real assets of the film remain its novelty and the performances.
Indradeep Dasgupta’s music is average, although Sahana Bajpayee and Saptarshi
Mukherjee’s rendition of Mor bhabonare
uplifts the film just before the intermission. Supriyo Dutta’s cinematography
and Sujoy Dutta Roy’s editing are worth mentioning too.
The film is not a classic, nor is it meant to be one. Yet it
is a journey, an attempt to re-discover the nuances of relationships. Din kshon mapa ache for every man/woman,
and however greener the grass appears on the other side, one has to bear the
burden of one’s life. Hawa Bodol,
almost entirely wrapped in comic essence, tells a story of commoners and the
desires they nourish, undergoing a transformation only to realize the contrary.
One time watch, but Hawa Bodol
definitely calls for a change in the taste of the cine-goers.
