Movie Review: Arekti Premer Golpo (Another Love Story)

This is a Bengali/English movie on homosexuality. The plot moves around a gay filmmaker Abhiroop, shooting a documentary film on a homosexual actor Chapal Bhaduri, a theater artist of sixties who used to play female roles on stage.

The movie generates a special interest among regular movie-goers, for having Rituparno Ghose, a noted Bengali filmmaker, playing the role of Abhiroop, a gay filmmaker in the movie. Rituparno himself is believed to be a homosexual person. He has brilliantly portrayed the character to the perfection with his natural acting. He has also contributed to the script and direction which has been quite prominent in the film. Though the movie has been credited to Kaushik Ganguly as it's director, but it bears the typical Rituparno signature all over it.

The screen play is brilliant. It has rightly captured the sensitivity of the topics. It nicely describes the emotions involved in a relationship between Abhiroop (Rituparno) and Basu (assistant to Abhiroop), a bisexual with a wife who turned out be pregnant, at the later part of the film.

In the movie, we see Abhiroop shooting Chapal Bhaduri's life story. Initially Chapal was uncomfortable for a tell-all about his private life and the men in his life, though Abhiroop was particularly interested in that. There is another movie within the movie where the characters (Abhiroop, Basu and others) enact the relationship between Chapal and his lover.

The movie highlights the similarities and differences between the relationship of Chapal and that of Abhiroop at two different times (60s and present). There is a deep understanding between Abiroop and Chapal as they share similar situation in their own lives. The movie shows the outlook of the society towards a gay relationship.

The highlight of the movie is undoubtedly the brilliant acting by Rituparno Ghosh. Art direction and makeup has been good. Cinematography could have been better had there been some use of long shots. The screenplay has been good.

Almost all the dialogs of the movie are in English (though they claim it as a Bengali movie) which clearly targets urban and non-Bengali (international?) audiences. Still the flavor is very much of a regional film. A good overall experience.