Antarmahal

The director of this film has a new middle name — Ritu "porno" Ghosh. He has had a great rapport with his genteel audiences so far, but with Antarmahal, he's facing their outrage for crossing the line. Just like Aparna Sen was accused of in Paroma. Ghosh is no longer the gentle and subtle filmmaker we used to know. In antarmahal, we hear a new, powerful voice that ridicules and attacks every symbol of oppression—gender, religious and feudal—against the colonial backdrop. Sometimes, when Ghosh is a tad too high-pitched, you wish he would wind down a bit. He makes no attempt to make you feel good or optimistic—get ready for the shock, hurt and discomfort. Now, the sex. It's rampant and relentless, but clearly a metaphor for oppression.

Decadent 19th century zamindar Bhubaneshwar Choudhury (Jackie) has brought home the lovely Jashomati (Soha) to beget a son, after many failed attempts with his first wife Mahamaya (Roopa). Night after night, the bed creaks loudly for hours as he pumps away—belching, chatting and cursing all along. This repeats itself endlessly. The claustrophobic, mechanical sexual episodes are terrifying and bizarre. And so very Almodovar (particularly the scenes of comatose or drugged bodies of women that are frequently used for sex). Disturbing, yes. Titillating or pornographic, hardly.

Soha looks gorgeous but Abhishek is the eye candy. He plays a patua (sculptor) from Bihar who comes to create a Durga idol in the Choudhury house. He speaks little, bathes a lot and bares his body frequently as the women—and the camera—gaze admiringly. Clearly, the Bollywood stars have been chosen as they look the parts and, of course, for their box-office value. But Roopa, without doubt, is the star performer. The Bombay star cast pales before her portrait of the neglected first wife—the complex older woman who is at once humane and human. Ghosh has a strong plot—the germ of the tale is from Tarashankar Bandopadhya's Protima—with a twist at the end and a clever script to back it up. But he proves again that he can really get under your skin and leave you peeling the layers much later.

INDIAN Top 5
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US Top 5
1. Chicken Little
2. Zathura
3. Derailed
4. Get Rich or Die Tryin
5. Jarhead

Courtesy: Film Information