Abyakto

Story: A young professional Indra (Anubhav Kanjilal) in Delhi is unable to vent out the pent up angst against his mother in Kolkata. He returns home after long and tries to avoid opening a dialogue with his mother Sathi (Arpita Chatterjee). His live-in partner Aditi (Kheya Chattopadhyay) tries to reason with him. Will Indra make peace with his own emotions?

Review: Abyakto — the film — has a lingering sadness even amid proposed happy scenes. The actors have done their job so well that like the name of the film, there's a stifling feeling throughout the runtime of the film. But there's measured yet continuous normal conversation between the characters. Indra's (Anubhav Kanjilal) childhood bitterness of being denied his little joys becomes all engulfing all along his life and he harbours strong ill feelings towards his mother. Even while leading a perfectly normal life according to his age, he is often lured into thinking how he is upset with his mother for ruining his childhood. This is where the film, even though refrains from commenting, hints at the perceived notion of parents who decide their children's gender roles and preferences very early on in life.

Though the film is extremely melancholic till the interval, it won't make you cry. It's more like a suffocating sadness than one that cuts a deep mark injecting pain.

Indra's curt replies to his mother and her continously trying to evoke childhood memories that are happy form the heart of the film. Indra's girlfriend Aditi (Kheya Chattopadhyay) is his sounding board. But at times it feels like he is speaking to her instead of writing a diary. The conversations between the two, especially over phone, hardly seem like a young couple in love. Aditi rather counsels Indra at every point.

Throughout the film there's opulence in the central characters' way of life, which reinstates the fact that money cannot always ensure a full or a happy life. The film is classy in its setting and each frame is beautifully shot with perfect palettes that support the mood on screen.

While all the actors have worked well, Arpita's difficult self as a young mother and a more restrained older mother is worth appreciating. Anubhav is Indra from the very first shot. His troubled mind and curt behaviour is apt for the portrayal. Adil Hussain and Anirban Ghosh are appropriately cast for essaying apparently easy roles. They are subtle and natural throughout. Here the storytelling plays a big role.

The fact that the film gives Arpita's character a voice too makes the narrative interesting. Through the storytelling it's understandable that parents, especially mothers, will be worried about their children's sexual preferences in most households. At a time when every form of art looks to let the LGBTQIA community express themselves and splash stories of supporting parents, this film looks at what happens to parents for whom it's difficult to accept.