Bismillah review: Kaushik Ganguly, Gaurav Chakrabarty and Riddhi Sen shine bright in Bengal’s very own musical

Indraadip Dasgupta captures a lyrical journey of a rural artiste._____

Riddo Sen as Bismillah

Bismillah

Story: Acclaimed shehnai player Ustad Rashid Ali (Kaushik Ganguly) is a proud man. He refuses to compromise not only with his art but also in life. Despite finding it difficult to make his ends meet, he refuses charity. When his eldest son Hamid (Padmanabha Dasgupta) condescendingly sends him money, the proud father sends it back through a money order. His younger son Bismillah (Riddhi Sen) follows in his father's footsteps. He is musically brilliant and plays the flute but due to his vagrant nature, does not take up his father’s profession. Finally, when he focuses on shehnai, he becomes a star player. He encounters two mysterious women – Uma (Surangana Bandyopadhyay) and Fatima (Subhashree Ganguly). They significantly appear to him to be the reincarnations of Radha, while they find Krishna in him. The complexity of the plot revolves around the three.

Review: At the elementary level, this is a film glorifying artistic traditions and values, particularly emphasising the fact that shehnai playing is becoming a lost art, steadily losing ground to the ‘upstart’ DJ culture. Furthermore, this is a film on a syncretic culture where music transcends religious and social barriers. The director takes great care to portray a Bengali Muslim household in rural Bengal. Also, he shows how such a family upholds the tradition of Indian classical music, which essentially is a storehouse of harmony.

At its core, Bismillah is a musical. It presents a bouquet of different melodious songs, penned by Srijato, Ritam Sen and also pieces from traditional Padaboli Kirtan and verses by 12th-century poet Kobi Joydeb. But that is not all about Bismillah.

An air of mysticism pervades the film. The protagonist is in search of himself and the two mysterious women in his life seem to guide him spiritually to a sublime plane. The wide and desolate Purulia landscape, the rippling lake, and the formidable hills build up a setting, bucolic and strange.

While the landscape is tantalising, the plot, however, at times, seems too complex to be gripping. The excessive stress on building up the mystic environs makes the film trifle boring in parts. A film that could have been a sweet tale of love and separation gets esoteric and loses charm.

Kaushik Ganguly, as usual, leads the team of actors and is superb in his performance. His wives – Bidipta Chakraborty and Sneha Chatterjee – support him to a great extent. Agni Sengupta plays a very special role. Riddhi once again proves his mettle through and gives a commendable performance. Subhashree has little to contribute but leaves a mark on the screen. Surangana, however, is a bit off the mark despite trying hard to portray a very difficult role. Notably Gaurav Chakrabarty steals the show as Shibu – a character contrary to his usual self.

Verdict: Bismillah has an array of interesting possibilities. The film is a delight for music enthusiasts. But its length makes it sluggish and the making, at times, appears faltering. However, it is worth a watch for its heartfelt tribute to our musical heritage.

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Cast and Crew

Kaushik Ganguly

Riddhi Sen

Bidipta Chakraborty

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