‘Abyakto’: 5 reasons to watch a film about unexpressed nuances of life

The soothing classical music in the background by Soumya Rit, comprising mainly of oriental instruments, have already made ‘Abyakto’ one of the most musically enriched Bengali films in recent times. While Arjunn has been credited as one of the most promising film directorial debut of the year, Soumya Rit’s music can’t go unnoticed. It raises the film to a commendable pedestal. There’s no surprise Soumya Rit is a happy man, especially after lauded for his simplistic yet insightful work in ‘Abyakto’.

“It’s always challenging to score music for films, that’s too this was my first film. Arjunn and I share a great bonding so I knew the story. When you are narrating a story about a mother and her son, it will always be emotional, intense. Arjun had earlier suggested working with the Malhar raag, but I insisted Miyan Ki Malhar would be best. The softness in Miyan Ki Malhar will add to the emotional quotient. Plus you would get seven more raags here,” explained the talented music director while speaking about ‘Abyakto’s music.

Starring Arpita Chatterjee, Adil Hussain, Anubhav Kanjilal and Anirban Ghosh in the lead, ‘Abyakto’ is a touching story about the relationship between a mother and son. The story of ‘Abyakto’ revolves around the life of Indra through his growing years, from being a child to becoming a full grown man. As he grows up, a series of unexplained events that occur to him turns him into a man that he never thought would become.

While discussing about what prompted him to cast Arpita and Adil in the lead, Arjunn Dutta said: “I wanted someone who would be perfect in both in her 30s and 50s. Arpita Chatterjee fit my requirement exceptionally well. I had closely followed her work in the last few years and what made me excited is unlike many of her contemporaries, she didn’t appear in each and every film. She accepted her roles carefully. She is really committed to her work, and I was very fortunate that she said ‘yes’ to Sathi’s character. Adil da (Adil Hussain) is also a great person to work with; remarkably grounded, really easy to work with. It was the script that attracted him.”

‘Abyakto’ was appreciated at almost all the national and international film festivals. It was an official selection at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in the Indian Panorama and International Competition Section. Abyakto grabbed the Audience Choice Award at the Indo-German Filmweek in Berlin, while Arjunn won the Best Director Award at the Guwahati International Film Festival. It travelled to London, Germany, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Ireland to name a few. Even it had a double screening in Aurangabad. At Habitat Film Festival in Delhi, Abyakto was welcomed with a standing ovation from more than 400 cine lovers. So many people getting emotionally connected with the film during its festival round means ‘Abyakto’ will be on any thinking man’s must-watch list.

Arpita Chatterjee is phenomenal as Saathi, the mother. In the two timelines of the film, she switches her persona with great finesse. “I enjoyed it thoroughly and have won a lot of praise for it. I play the mother Saathi in this mother-son conflict story in which I cover a span, ageing from a woman in her twenties to a woman in her late fifties or early sixties. It is one of the best roles I have done over my career and I owe it greatly to my director, the crew and, of course, my co-actors.

Also, knowing Adil Hussain’s track record as an actor, I was a bit nervous to begin with. But it was a wonderful learning experience for me. I found he was so disciplined that when I came to the sets, he was already there in full makeup, costume, dialogues ready to shoot, though he needed to work on his Bengali diction as he is from Assam," shares the seasoned actor.