Prosenjit Weds Rituparna

It’d be wrong to reveal what role Prosenjit Chatterjee plays in Samrat Sharma’s Prosenjit Weds Rituparna, but it’s safe to say the actor’s presence would be keenly felt even if he didn’t have a guest appearance. The film’s biggest USP is probably its name, which is not just a terrific marketing tool but will potentially draw non-metro viewers or older audiences. It’s a throwback to Tollywood of the nineties or early 2000s where posters sold tickets instead of Instagram or YouTube.

You already know the film’s plot if you’ve seen the trailer but it proves to be more layered as it progresses. Rituparna (Ipsita) is a fan (or a stan, according to Gen-Z lingo) of actor Prosenjit and vows to marry him; egged on by her parents, she finally agrees to marry someone who shares the same name as him. Prosenjit (Rishav), on the other hand, detests his famous namesake and has been bullied for his name. He falls in love with his wife and tries to get her to meet Prosenjit. The story has flashes of some familiar Bollywood classics and while that isn’t essentially a problem, the film needed better character designs to harness the true potential of the subject.

It’s not a straightforward love story, it’s also an homage to popular cultural milestones in Tollywood. The storyline and the comedy tap into the nostalgia and the masala of Bengali commercial cinema of the aughts. The screenwriting is balanced and Sharma does a good job of playing up the crowd-pleasing elements, especially in comedy. The second half is somewhat polarising, perhaps for a reason, you may like it or you may think it needed to go a different direction. Rishav’s character goes through a transition emotionally, but it doesn’t happen seamlessly and may just leave you feeling partly confused.
But Prosenjit (who's also one of the producers) is the element that ties the film together. Not just with his performance but because he owns up to all aspects of his stardom, be it his influence on the generations of cinema-goers or his caricatures. If you’ve scoffed at Prosenjit’s films in the past, this is the perfect vehicle for you to reconnect with the artiste. Sharma manages to make a comedy that’s self-aware and engaging and he clearly had the right vision for the subject. But the script may just be the chink in his armour. It’s loud and funny and yet, after the credits roll, it leaves you asking for more. Not more dhamaka or more laughs but more substance.
Ipsita, who has made her mark in television, tries her best and is even a refreshing choice for a female lead. Her performance could have been a big USP for the film if it was a different tone. Music is a big win for the movie, it brings back an extremely popular number from Prosenjit and Rituparna’s 2000 hit Sasurbar Zindabad, which was ripe for a remix. The film is a terrific retrospect that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and no matter what critics say, chances are you'll leave the theatres dancing.