Ritwick-Jaya to Mimi-Anirban: Bengali cinema’s fresh pairs to look forward to

Debutant director Manas Basu’s ‘Chobiyal’ sees a fresh pair of Saswata Chatterjee and Srabanti Chatterjee in the lead. We have seen both the actors in Aparna Sen’s ‘Goyanar Baksho’ but they didn’t have a single screen together.

The story, by Indronil Boksi, revolves around Habol (Saswata) who is a photographer with a studio near a crematorium and is into dead body photography. Habol was very close to Kanak Da (Amitabh Bhattacharjee) and assisted him who used to click photographs in various wedding events, one day Kanak Da leaves the village.

Photography was profession as well as a addiction for Habol. One day he falls for Labonyo (Srabanti) and starts staying together in the studio near the crematorium. His friends and assistant were shocked to see his newly made up family for which Habol left his passion, photography.

One day, one of his friends advice Habol to control his over possessiveness towards Labonyo. Habol takes a drastic step and leave the village with Labonyo .

What’s with this obsession towards Labonyo that forced Habol to take such decidion?Why Habol and Labonyo left the village? All these questions will be answered in ‘Chobiyal’ as Manas Basu explores a complex relationship.

The music of ‘Chobiyal’ is by Megh banerjee. Produced under the banner of Paramhansha Chitram, the film will release on February 7.

2019 was a great year for Bengali cinema with thoughtful stories, conceptual ideas, innovative onscreen pairings like Prosenjit Chatterjee and Jaya Ahsan in ‘Robibaar’, Shiboprosad and Paoli in ‘Konttho or Rituparna Sengupta opposite Arifin Shuvoo in ‘Ahaa Re’ and beautiful aesthetics; we certainly saw a change in Tollywood. The new year 2020 is again packed with some interesting fresh on-screen jodis.

Here’s a list of some of the on-screen pairs we will see this year. Let's get into it:

Film: ‘Binisutoy’

Director: Atanu Ghosh

Plot: Kajal Sarkar (Ritwick Chakraborty) and Sraboni Barua (Jaya Ahsan) are two strangers who meet at the audition of a reality game show, and thereafter through some strange turns of events, the journey of these two people grow into an engaging drama of intrigue, surprise and enlightenment. The film’s story penned by Atanu himself sheds light on the eternal quest for an alternative lifestyle.

Film: ‘Dracula Sir’

Director: Debaloy Bhattacharya

Plot: ‘Dracula Sir’ is the story of a primary school teacher who develops a pair of canine teeth earning the nickname, Dracula Sir. As destiny pushes him towards becoming the vampire he has always been referred to, he has a story to tell from 1971 that makes his journey a tale of finding love and revenge.

Film: ‘Habji Gabji’

Director: Raj Chakraborty

Plot: ‘Habji Gabji’ will address a socially relevant issue like the young generation is obsessed with mobile and internet gaming. In fact, the title has been derived from a hugely popular mobile game PUBG. In the film, Parambrata and Subhashree play working parents who can’t give enough time to their kid and the kid is getting lost more and more in the virtual world of internet and mobile.

Film: ‘Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti’

Director: Aritra Mukherjee

Plot: Produced by Windows, the film revolves around Shabari (Ritabhari), who is a lecturer and performing artiste. She is into another profession too. When a chance encounter with Vikramaditya (Soham) at a college function leads to a marriage proposal, she clearly tells the would-be groom about her multiple identities. Her words are misinterpreted and Shabari is forced to keep one important part of her life under wraps due to the stark differences between the worlds she belong to, pre and post marriage.

Film: ‘Bhotbhoti’

Director: Tathagata Mukherjee

Plot: Bhotbhoti is a modern-day fairy tale love story between a man and a mermaid. Rishav plays the titular role of Bhotbhoti, who lives near the river and keen to explore the mysteries under water. He dreams of a love story with a mermaid and his dream turns into a reality when he meets Ariel (Bibriti).

Film: Not yet titled

Director: Sujit Mondal

Plot: The film tries to redefine love narrating a refreshing story. Does Love really cause pain or it’s the cure of any pain? Can love and belief change everything and can create an unbelievable, miraculous unique, endless and timeless love story? Can love and belief turn impossible into possible and can bring two lovers together from two different worlds and can unite them forever where even death can’t separate them? Can a promise of love win over life and death and can change the course of nature?

Arjun makes that promise to himself that their love will be timeless and endless, when he first saw Hiya, as a kid. It was love at first sight for them. But then time plays its course and separates the two lovers in the cruelest way. Hiya’s love becomes the cure for Arjun’s pain, and his love becomes her life. This film is all about the journey of love and belief that has to fight the odds of life and death.

Film: ‘Uraan’

Director: Tridib Raman

Plot: Poulami Banerjee, who is trying to be an independent woman. When she gets a job offer far from home, she grabs it without batting an eyelid. After working in that village for a few months, Poulami gets transferred to another place. Locals claim the place is cursed as it is plagued by diseases. Keen to dedicate herself to the service of the sufferers, she struggles to rid the village of the curse. In her quest, she faces various hurdles and obstacles. Whether she emerges victorious in her heroic battle is what this film all about. We will also see how Poulami’s relationship with Romit unfolds.