Year- 2005
They hardly make movies in bangla like this these days. I watched this movie (on DVD) after watching a series of ridiculous no-brainers, Bong Connection, Kailashe Kelenkari (more a jewelery ad than a movie), Aamra... all touted to be "different", but none hit the mark. But once in a while comes a movie like Herbert, which deserves far more appreciation that it actually got from the audience.
First time director Suman Mukherjee does a brilliant job of this adaptation of Nabarun Bhattacharya's novel. The story unfold though the life of Herbert Sarkar, the orphan son of parents who linger through a ghostly presence throughout the movie, outside his window, observing their child as he lives, his father making a movie of this life of obscurity. The screenplay often ventures into surreal & neo-realistic imagery, though most of the times it is very real & palpable.
Herbert is rather comic, even in his everyday tragedy of a life, almost Quixotic. He loses his parents, falls in love, breaks his heart, witnesses a friends' suicide, gets involved with the Naxal revolution, loses his nephew who was also probably the only friend & "comrade" he ever had, turns first to the occult then swindling people, & finally on the verge of fame & fortune, he is shamed & dies alone, slashing his wrists, leaving just a suicide note that is only the confused thoughts of a insane person to those left behind. Only posthumously does he manage to cause an" explosion" raising the question "Aren't all madmen political dissidents?"
Subhashish Mukherjee, a wonderful theater actor, not often seen on the big screen, brings Herbert Sarkar to life. The other actors also do justice to their roles. The music of the film needs special mention, the background score adds to the drama of the film.
Herbert is no a movie for everyone though, it needs an open mind & acceptance of nuances into eccentricity to fully appreciate it. For anyone who can however, it is a rich, fulfilling experience.
1 comment:
Do read the book if you haven't. Suman Mukherjee tried his best to stay loyal to the book and thats exactly why I was a bit dissatisfied with the effort. Nabarun has a peculiar style and array of imageries which is very difficult to capture on screen. Suman would have done better if he ventured more and incorporated some personal touches.
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