Alienation in our times
Pinaki Mukherjee, has now completed his film Ballygunge Court based on a novel by Bani Basu. His first film Cinemay Jemon Hoy (as it happens in cinema) received tremendous critical acclaim. Yet, the film bombed at the box office.
Ballygunge Court is a posh multi-storeyed residential complex in a swanky part of Kolkata. Here the director explores the deep sense of alienation, isolation and loneliness of elderly men and women whose children have settled abroad. Though this film is set in Calcutta it is a story of urban India today. The impact of globalisation on traditional Indian families has been handled in a sensitive manner.
The film revolves round the lives of some of the elderly couples residing in the building. The children have either gone away in search of material prosperity or are planning to spread their wings. The parents have been left to fend for themselves. Then, one day the neighbours discover that unknown assailants have killed a Sindhi couple, the Hiranis, underscoring the insecurity in their lives.
Producer: Ganesh Bagaria
Director: Pinaki Mukherjee
Music: Ajoy Chakravarty
Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Mamata Shankar, Sabyasachi Chakravarty, Tanushree Shankar, Manoj Mitra, Biplab Chattopadhyay, Soma De, Arun Bandopadhyay, Soumitra Mitra and Mithu Chakravarty.
