The Mystery Maze, Moving Shadows and Lights!—Dr. Kunal Roy

MOVIE : MADAM SENGUPTA 

GENRE: CRIME THRILLER

DIRECTOR: SAYANTAN GHOSHAL

LANGUAGE: BENGALI 

STARRING: RITUPARNA SENGUPTA, KAUSHIK SEN, RAHUL BOSE, ANANYA CHATTERJEE 

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 Making a foray into the realm of cinema, one can comprehend at ease on the multilayered adroitness involved in the intention of entertaining the class audience. 

 Madam Sengupta, directed by Sayantan Ghoshal, released on 4th July, attempts to transcend the conventional codes of mystery and suspense, trying to make the audience think twice before drawing the conclusion to unfold the tenets of the prime culprit. Cutting through the barriers, the movie makes a sharp entry into the realm of psychological excavation. The film doesn't cry for publicity or attention, rather broods and awaits the final twist which whispers between the characters portrayed here .

 The movie raises the voice against the societal offence, deception and perception. A postmodern analysis of womanhood, taciturnity and the various phases of hypocrisy.

 The film kicks off with a torrential downpour before the ladies' hostel, where the first murder takes place. The victim is being drowned time and again till Madam feels an inner summon, as if something undesirable has taken place. And as fate would behold, her imagination translates into reality and she loses her only daughter Mitul. Sengupta, a cartoonist of immense repute undergoes a drastic transformation as she equips herself with the tools of power and intelligence to do justice to her deceased daughter.

  The plot moves and creates a series of swathes to reflect the old trauma, broken bonds, concealed secrets and meticulously framed social masks.

  The crime continues unabatedly. The pattern of killing is same at each and every step and amid the factors of interrogation, flash backs, personal set backs and surrealism come to the fore! 

 The spine chilling suspense makes each to glue to his or her seat. The dialogues are interpersed with radical silence, gesture, peeks and finally the exposition. Her countenance turns out to be a canvas where every single emotion becomes a strong embodiment of the haunted dignity of a woman poorly evaluated or overtly judged.

  The supportive characters like Ranjan, Nil and others have added an extra edge to establish the authenticity and tension of the plot. Each is unique, unpredictable and echoes the hide and seek game of innocence and guilt.

 'Madam Sengupta' is something beyond the known orb where the cinematographer has subtly suggested that the truth is never completely veiled. The use of profound imagery, subtle sound freaks, postmodern sensibility, open refusal, quiet rebellion and incorrigible temptations is well chiselled out in the complete context. 

The foundation of the whole suspense lies in suppressed tension, dialogue matrix and a gradual release of the emotive noose as the final suspect and culprit is nabbed and shoved to death.

  A must watch for those who nurture a deep love for this genre, narrative technique and exquisite experience. After all, the stillness persists in every speck of the psychological intensity! Any explanation?

  

                                         - Kunal Roy 

(Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Communication, George Group of Colleges, Kolkata)