Satyanweshi Bengali Movie
What would have been the on screen representation if he was alive? Maybe this is the most pertinent question that all of us have when it comes to Satyanweshi. But the answers are not simple and easy. Even after watching director Rituparno Ghosh's last film Satyanweshi it is not easy to reach a conclusion and decipher the mystery of what could have been and what is!
Maharaja Arunangshu, the ruler of a princely state Balabantpur, makes a wish list on his death bed in the presence of Dewan Chandrashekhar, the family physician Kaligati (Sibaji Bandyopadhyay) and the High Priest. The wishes were for his son Himangshu (Indraneil Sengupta). The first of which restricted Himangshu from marrying a non Hindu girl, and the second commanded a legitimate heir within three years of his marriage. Bound by his father's restrictions to the throne, Himangshu is obliged to marry Alaka (Arpita Chatterjee), an aspiring actress.
Based on the story 'Chorabali', by Saradindu Bandopadhyay, Satyanweshi holds the original storyline at its heart, with a few alterations per excellence suggestive of Rituparno Ghosh's creative brilliance. Himanshu (Indraneil Sengupta) invites his old friend Byomkesh (Sujoy Ghosh) and Ajit (Anindya Chattopadhyay) on a hunting expedition to Balabantpur. Little did the duo know that this expedition had much in store for them. It is Harinath, the young palace librarian whose disappearance churns out a mystery.
Ghosh will always be remembered for his eratic yet bold casting in Satyanweshi. Sujoy Ghosh as Byomkesh is fairly good, while Anindya Chattopadhyay mesmerizes with his screen presence along with Arpita Chatterjee. Indraneil Sengupta is natural, while Professor Sibaji Bandyopadhyay is remarkable and really a good find by the late filmmaker.
The cinematography and the editing of the film is noteworthy and the people behind it are truly appreciable, as they kept the torch alive after the untimely death of Ghosh and treated the seed of Satyanweshi with utmost care, until the film hit the screens. A few jerks here and there are part of the film and if you are expecting a neat complete film by the filmmaker, then it is quite out of question.
Director Rituparno Ghosh's Satyanweshi is that note of music, which tore just before it was about to make the right sound. Too much was right, yet much remained a mystery in itself. A good watch for the sake of not missing on Rituparno Ghosh's last ever cinematic radiance.
