‘Asur’: Five reasons to watch the relationship drama

It’s the first Bengali film of 2020, that too with a stellar cast including Jeet, Abir Chatterjee and Nusrat jahan! Pavel’s next ‘Asur’ which releases tomorrow (January 03) has all the right elements to make the film a box office hit. So, what makes this film worth a watch? Let’s take a look at five reasons to include ‘Asur’ on your weekend watch list.

As we have seen in the trailer, the plot offers an interesting reference to the 2015 Durga Puja when there was a horrible stampede-like situation at the popular Deshapirya Park Puja when a huge crowd visited the South Kolkata puja pandal to get a glimpse of the gigantic 88-feet Durga idol, a creation by artist Mintu Pal. Such was the craziness for the idol that eventually Kolkata police had to finally declare the Puja mandap completely closed for public viewing. In ‘Asur’, Jeet portrays Kigan, a crazy independent artist who creates the tallest Durga idol and it leads to an unprecedented crowd and almost out-of-control situation. Jeet looks almost unrecognisable in his stunning long unkempt hair disheveled avatar. But it’s only a small part of the story as the film also focuses on a story of friendship which goes haywire between once close friends Kigan and Bodhi (Abir Chatterjee). Nusrat Jahan plays Aditi, who looks like the love interest of Jeet. Meanwhile, Abir's Bodhi,a textile business magnet, sponsors more than 50 Durga Pujas across the city and he employs Kigan to make something remarkable. Abir’s character has a lot of grey shades after Mainak Bhaumik's ‘Borno Porichoy’.

“This time Asur will rise for love for passion and friendship. 3rd January will be the true akal bodhon. 3rd January I will come at no.3 Jeet da and Abir da will open the innings for Asur. Nusrat and Rajnandini in charge of unpredictable spin attack,” jokes Pavel adding that ‘Asur’ is his tribute to Ramkinkar Baij. “Despite being a genius, Ramkinkar has largely remained unsung and even misunderstood. Through my film, I want to show the challenges that a true artiste faces during his journey in life,” said the talented filmmaker who has earlier directed ‘Babar Naam Gandhiji’ and ‘Rosogolla’ while worked as a writer for Jeet’s ‘Baccha Shoshur’.

He is known for his typical ‘good boy’ screen image, but Abir Chatterjee also has his fair share of negative characters, the recent being Mainak Bhawmik’s ‘Bornoporichoy’. ‘Kanamachi’, ‘Flat No. 609’, ‘Rajkahini’ and ‘Chhaya o Chhobi’ too had Abir in an unusual avatar. And now, the handsome actor will once again be seen in a negative role, as we have seen in the official trailer of his next ‘Asur’. “I play Bodhi, who is now a corporate guy. He used to be a literature student. Bodhi is from a very well-to-do family and is very smart. He knows his job well... is bossy and confident as a corporate guy. But if you see his personal side, there are things that are always under wraps. So he is not a person who will reveal his emotions. He is also arrogant and stubborn, sometimes very friendly and approachable. He is a very caring dad too. He is very selfish also,” revealed the ‘Byomkesh Gowtro’ actor.

“The film focuses on acting, story and characters. We have shot in and around Kolkata, which was an amazing experience. The characters in the film belong to art schools, so it has been very different and it has been quite exciting. there’s a lot of space to act and lot of shades in all the characters. I play Aditi, who is an art student and Aditi, Kigan and Bodhi are all friends from college. And the film goes on to show how our lives are tied together and what crisis we face emotionally and professionally. It is a film about art, colour and culture,” Nusrat explains the concept of the film.

Jeet looks almost unrecognisable in his stunning long unkempt hair disheveled avatar. “It used to take me hours to get my makeup done for my character. When Pavel (director) narrated me the story, he didn't have the script in his hand. I sketched the whole character in my mind. This is a very different kind of cinema, and the entire process has been very memorable. I liked the film on the whole — the idea, my character and the way the script is written. There are certain elements in the film that have a deep Bengal and Calcutta connect. When you are working genuinely you always put in your best. But I believe in not thinking about the results, just do your karma,” said Jeet.