Kangal Malsat Bengali Movie
Suman Mukhopadhyay's on-screen adaptation of Nabarun Bhattacharya's Kangal Malsat brings into light the nightmares of anarchy and how a underclass uprising can cause a worthwhile change in the society. Mukhopadhyay treats the subject of the film with a black humor bringing into light the communist rule.
When the establishment comprising of the Police Commissioner and Chief Minister get difficult towards the society. An undercurrent rises from within the communities of the Choktars (dark magic practitioners) and Fyatarus (flying humans). Kabir Suman is the talking crow who mentors this uprising along with the ghost of Begum Johnson (Miss Jojo).
The characters from these communities join hands to overthrow the government, but their only weapon in this fight is everyday things like kitchen knives, broken furniture etc. Their motives are strong yet their path of achievement is unsophisticated and earthy. Driven by the supernatural powers of flying saucers they begin to behead the powerful and overcome the anarchy. Director Mukhopadhyay stays glued to the original novella yet he extends the narrative of Kangal Malsat a step ahead.
Establishing a magic realist narrative approach on-screen is a task in itself; Mukhopadhyay does that with elan and poise. Kaushik Ganguly as Bhodi proves his acting excellence once again. Kabir Suman walks the role naturally fitting into the shoes of Dandabayash.
Kangal Malsat as an on-screen depiction fails to create an impact all through. However the dark, grim humor along with the wonderfully bizarre poetics of the narrative breaks free from the rhythms of the normal.
A time when living gets difficult, when the state has too much to ponder about. Director Suman Mukhopadhyay critically eyes the today, tomorrow and day after with a sense of black humor. A vey interesting and critical watch, for the thoughtful. Definitely not a light popcorn watch.
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