Bengal 1947 Review: About tumultuous period of partition!

BENGAL 1947

Producers- Akashaditya Lama, Satish Pande and Rishab Pande

Director- Akashaditya Lama

Cast- Ankur Armam, Anil Rastogi, Sohaila Kapuir, Surabhi Krishna, Devoleena Bhattacharjee, Omkardas Manikpuri and Aditya Lakhia

Platform of Release- Theatres

Rating:

By Jyothi Venkatesh

 This historical drama unfolds against the backdrop of Bengal’s partition in 1947, narrating the tale of a failed love affair between a rich London-educated man from a Zamindar lineage and a poor woman of a lower caste. To put it in a nutshell, Bengal 1947 explores the partition of India in 1947, focusing specifically on the impact on Bengal.

Basically, Bengal 1947 depicts the dark timings of partition in 1947 and portrays the journey of Mohan and his sacrifices. Mohan (Ankur Armam), a London-educated man from a Zamindar lineage who returns to India and begins teaching children in the village. Romance sparks when he encounters Shabri (Surabhi Krishna), but their love is hindered by the age-old societal divide between the affluent and the underprivileged.

As far as the performances of the film are concerned, while to his credit, I should say that Ankur Armam Feeling the palpable chemistry between each and every actor in ‘Bengal 1947,’ it brings authenticity to the relationships portrayed on screen.

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Ankur Armam portrays Mohan with sincerity, successfully embodying both the physical demeanor and intellectual depth of the character, while Surabhi Krishna brings the deglamorized and sultry village girl Shabri to life with her honest portrayal, capturing the character’s essence through her inherent mannerisms and appearance.

Frankly, I should say that the biggest disappointment in the film is popular TV star Deboleena Bhattacharjee’s portrayal of Basabdutta is somewhat underwhelming, with her brief appearance leaving almost a nil impact. Sohaila Kapur’s portrayal of Rani Matingini Devi, though very brief, is very impactful. The best aspect of the historical film is then beautiful and apt voice over by the ace Harish Bhimani who with his description of the events takes us literally to the spot.

Though, all said and done, ‘Bengal 1947’ is a historical fiction drama set in Bengal during the tumultuous period of India’s partition, with basically a love story at its core, even while adeptly portraying the central romance, peripheral events sometimes feel less cohesive and despite its earnest intentions, ‘Bengal 1947’ sort of falls short due to a lack of a tightly woven screenplay.