Bengali cinema's biggest flops of 2019
These films have failed to charm the audiences!
There have been many surprise hits from Tollywood in 2019, alongside even more surprising failures. While some biggies just couldn't cover the distance, some Bengali films ended up as damp squibs at the box office. Here we take a look at the flops of 2019, reports Times Of India.
Finally 'Bhalobasha'
Despite some fine performances Raima Sen, Anirban Bhattacharya, Arjun Chakraborty and others, this Anjan Dutt directorial fails to delineate the journey to true love. Though it doesn't give an engaging experience, the dedicated performances by almost the entire cast is quite exciting. The three different stories of the film are named after three ailments - Arthritis, Insomnia and HIV-positive. In each story, one of the characters suffers from the disease. However, the titles do not carry much significance as, apart from HIV-positive, neither of the other two stories establishes any connection of love with the ailment.
'Prem Amar 2'
The film, directorial debut of Bidula Bhattacharya, narrates an atypical love story of a boy and a girl who go against their families and friends to stick together. It is a joyless and humorless movie. It would have been great to lighten the mood a little in the first half at least. But there's none of that. It's just tears, doom and gloom all the way through.
'Kidnap'
'Kidnap' is like a roller-coaster ride. Some scenes have you flying with excitement, while others make you sick to the stomach. Directed by Raja Chanda, the film deals with human trafficking, or more specifically, trafficking of women. With a sensitive subject like that, what is required is an equally sensitive script and direction.
But there is none of that here. The director opts for the sledgehammer version of filmmaking. It's like no one in the film has come across a problem that can't be solved with a punch. Even Dev can't save the film.
'Shesh Theke Shuru'
Raj Chakraborty's film starring Jeet, Koel Mallick, Ritabhari Chakraborty in the lead scores high on entertainment value, but the addition of some unnecessary subplots bloats the runtime and takes focus away from the core story. Making commercial cinema is a tough gig.
'Bornoporichoy'
Mainak Bhaumik's crime drama plotting Jisshu and Abir opposite each other is a huge let-down as a thriller. The film is so monotonous and filled with repetitive dialogues that you can even guess any part of the story if you have missed 15 to 20 minutes of it. The ending is also a bit of an anti-climax. Not just because it is predictable, but also because a small twist in the second half falls flat on its face. The film follows a linear plot but doesn't generate any anticipation.
'Purbo Poschim Dokkhin Uttor Ashbei'
With an ensemble cast of both veteran and young talents, director Raajhorshee De attempts to serve a new concoction, based on Avik Sarkar's best-selling book, Ebong Inquisition. But sadly, the film fails to pack a punch due to unsatisfactory execution and lack of justification. The film hardly has any element of a thriller except for the third story, Bhog, which delivers a few scary moments. The second story, Roktofolok, seems absurd. Sometimes, the interlocking subplot that focuses on Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and Arpita Chatterjee comes across as forced. The music too hardly touches your heart.
'Zombiesthaan'
'Zombiesthaan', Tollywood's first zombie movie, has three good things going in its favor - the subject is novel, the acting is strong and it has a female 'hero'. But, other than these, the Abhirup Ghosh directed film feels like a letdown. Its unique premise, something that hasn't been seen on the Bengali screen before, is squandered in a maze of subplots.
'Goyenda Junior'
Mainak Bhaumik's 'Goyenda Junior' is a simple effort to entice our inherent fascination for whodunits. The film satisfies sometimes and disappoints too. A murder mystery often tastes better with a tight script, and essentially, smartness. This film's subplot - the fact that Bikram is an orphan and bullied in school, and feels guilty of his parents accident - has made the film sloppy. The script fails to get rid of those extra flabs.
'Bhoot Chaturdashi'
If you are horror film buff, 'Bhoot Chaturdashi' will be a big letdown for you. It may well make you want to cry, but cringe in terror? Not likely. In fact, the so-called horror bits of the film start and end so fast that your brain hardly gets the time to realize that it's supposed to be afraid. When four youngsters go to an abandoned haunted house in Bolpur to shoot a documentary, everything starts going wrong. And it works the same for the film as well!
'Mon Jaane Na'
It's an old tale in a new package. So, 'Mon Jaane Na' hardly has anything new to offer, except a love story that barely makes it to the watchable zone. Shagufta Rafique's film turns out to be a regressive show. Neither politics nor the depth of human emotions play an important role in the film and the plot doesn't hold any suspense either. The director has also designed the plot in a way that it gives away hints to the climax. Hence the audience is left to watch a series of melodramatic sequences.
