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DVD Tasher Desh
 Run time: 112 min Rating: 6.5 Genres: Fantasy Director: Qaushiq Mukherjee, Q Stars: Anubrata Basu, Joyraj Bhattacharya, Soumyak Kanti DeBiswas |
| Storyline The story of a prince who escapes his destiny, the prison of his mind. He lands on a fascist island and incites women to revolt. A psychedelic fantasy about destiny and humanity, social control and Utopian revolution. |
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| Details: Country: India Release Date: 23 August 2013 (India) |
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DVD Tasher Desh
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As the delicious happiness inside me slowly settles down, at having watched a really brilliant movie on the big screen after a long, long time, I wonder whether I can put this film into words. Not because I do not have words but because my words, or anybody else's, for that matter, can fully capture a work of this nature. Q's Tasher Desh (Land of Cards) is a delectably surreal ride through the self-indulgence of a director who does not want rules to create any obstacle in his way of artistic expression. The idea itself borders on pretentiousness, and thus it is no surprise that the film will be cussed at, and that is where 'borders' becomes an important word. On the other side of pretentiousness, lies 'brilliance', and that is where, in my honest opinion, 'Tasher Desh' has its feet firmly set.
The movie starts with an apparently incomprehensible sequence that later gains meaning, and slowly melts into a pastiche of realism and surrealism. The black and white cinematography is excellent as Q creates frames after frames that ooze aesthetic perfection, and this part of the movie narrates the story of an aspiring film maker looking for a reason. The story within the story, that is loosely yet sincerely adapted on the famous work of Rabindranath Tagore, is shot in sharp colors and invokes a sense of deep confusion and surrealism.
The story, in my opinion, was the perfect for Q to adapt. For a person who does not shy away from showing marijuana in its full glory, and is least bothered about stretching the comfort zone of an Indian audience to its maximum capacity, a story about breaking rules and starting a revolution could only result in magic. And it did, the movie did not only remain a set of moving images, it became alive with the director's ideas, creating an experience which is not only gratifying but also frightening at times. Through the protagonist's journey to absolution, Q captures a crisis so palpably desolate, that sometimes, it becomes too uncomfortable to understand. On the other hand, the story moves forward as the prince and his friend escape their cage, their discipline, and spark a revolution which changes the lives of an entire race, as facades drop, selves are revealed and rules are broken. The tightly strung and well-paced film culminates in a sense of liberation and wanton defiance.
The subtitles are a work of art, as dialogs are translated not literally, but contextually, and in the very spirit of the theme again, break all movie making norms. In fact, Q makes sure that aberrations become his prime weapon of mass destruction, or mass hypnotizing, as it applies. Awestruck by his audacity, I do not think any other director has so openly challenged all structures of thought. The movie was stripped bare of all explicit sequences but yet, the erotica that comes through is simply magnificent. Bodily desire as a symbol for freedom is not an unexplored topic, but Q handles it exceptionally well, and subtly too, in too many occasions to mention here. The music elevates the movie further, as lyrical Rabindrasangeet meets vocal sensuality, and titillates the viewers to the perfect degree.
Not that it couldn't have been better, more accessible to logic and a bit more structured, but that would take away a lot from a movie that is essentially a symbol of freedom and refuses to bend to rules. And why should it be? Why should it have been that way and not this? Who decides what way should it be? Probably an artist's true liberation lies in successfully making his audience ask these questions, and Q spectacularly succeeds. In conclusion, I would like to leave you with a few adjectives that I deem fit for this movie; haunting, delectable, jarring, revolutionary and deeply satisfying.
A maniac writer, played by Joyraj Bhatacharya, is suddenly gripped with a wish to stage Tagore's 'Tasher Desh'. He narrates the story, as he sees it, to a widow, played by Rii. And this story seen through this writer's eyes is what Tasher Desh is. A psychedelic, trippy and exotic take on Tagore's classic. Is the original text followed? Yes and No. Yes, because original songs are used in their proper places, as in the play and even dialogues are almost syllable by syllable in adherence. And No, because some interpretations and/or hints of interpretations are not basically what Tagore might have wanted to convey. But then again Q openly agrees Tagore is not his favorite, rather he came up with this as he has had enough of him. Well… To each one's own.
Apart from the superlative and versatile performances from Joyraj and Rii, Soumyak Kanti Biswas surprises with his impressive portrayal of The Prince. Anubrata is as good as ever, but IMHO was under-utilized over here. Other supporting cast including Tilottama Shome, Imaddudin Shah puts up decent performances. The exotic locales of Sri Lanka serve aptly as the fantastical land of cards, and the accented Bengali spoken by non-bong cast members help in Q's cause of being quirky, sometimes just for the sake it one might wonder.
The theme of Liberation looms large from the very first. Social control, Fascism leads to a Revolution and finally Liberation. All sorts of Liberation: Social, Sexual, Cultural. The back story merges with the main story, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Use of color and monochrome and seamless editing gives the film an edgy feel.
Confused? Well… You might not be satisfied at the end of it. He didn't intend to make you feel so. Go for the experience that's awaiting you. An experience you won't regret having. And go for 'Gopono Kotha Ti' in Susheela Raman's voice. Its heavenly!
7.5-8/10.
Directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee (of the 2010 cult film Gandu the loser fame) this film, stands true to its word, being a quirky take on the play of the same name written by Rabindranath Tagore. The film's narrative has great shades of surrealism, fantasy and neo noir which as an impressive graph of development where two stories go hand in hand and they intersect at the pre climax , plus after few scenes with hardly any dialogues, the film takes a sweet boost and the rest is assured, drawing inspirations from Satyajit Ray's film "Goopy Gyen Bagha Byen" and the director's own previous work. The best part of the film lies in the cinematography by Manu Dacosee and the director himself, where every frame is a pure work of art and noir, the music score by Neel and Miti Adhikari and Q which takes on the Rabindra Sangeet with a tinge of some loud Western music making every song worth listening, then even editing by Nikon is great that well compliments the narrative, the performances by Tilotama Shome, Joyraj, Anubrata, Imaad Shah and Rii Sen. The film is a must watch for cinema lovers. My rating would be: 4/5.
I had watched 'Bish' and hated it. Then I watched 'Gandu' and loved it. But both the films had something in common that the director does not want to follow rules. Thus I had high expectations when I went to watch 'Tasher Desh'. The first half of the movie was spectacular, almost surreal. When I came out during the interval, I was in a maze. I had no idea what to expect from the rest of the film. But then the 2nd half was a dampener, a lot of spoon feeding and repetitive sequences. As a whole though I feel it's a path-breaking film, a trend setter. And this is in respect to the Indian Audience.
I had the option of writing the review the way the film is presented, surreal and abstract. But then I decided against it. Following are my observations:
1. The Storyteller and the Widow are the prime protagonist of the film. The widow kisses the storyteller in the end and thus breaks an age old tradition that of suppression. The images of various Gods and Goddesses in the back drop also signify the shackles that she is bounded in. 2. Sex has been used as an agent of luxury initially and later freedom. Ironically I noticed sex on the screen in the first half but second half I did not. It truly represents Human revolution in it's primal form. Awesome. 3. I missed those 2 boys in the 2nd half. I think the movie could have been 20 minutes shorter. But then it's a self-indulgence piece of art. 4. Music is mesmerizing. Only after I had watched the movie I started reading some articles on it and realized that there are 19 songs in the film! And I thought there are 6 – 7 songs. I had to download the album. 5. The 2nd half could have been as abstract as the first. 6. Not enough time and scope to define the characters in the Country of Cards. Thus there is no point in stretching it so much. The film lost value there. 7. Amazing work with the sub-titles. This is how it should be done. It's a lesson for other film makers who want to release their films outside of their region. 8. Most importantly I did not feel scared / trapped when the boys were caught or tried. A little violence could have helped intensify it. Although the cards were carrying guns, not one shot was fired. The Prince and his friend were termed invaders while bringing about a crisis in their culture, still they were only asked to be banished and not killed!
It's a film that sketches the director's vision and the actors are mere (and truly) puppets. It could have been an amazing animation film as well. Anyway that discussion is for another day. Coming to Performances, I think Soumyak Kanti De Biswas is a revelation. He truly represents the hero who breaks the barriers of his mind first and undergoes a change within himself then brings about a revolution in the fascist community. Joyraj Bhattacharya was simply mind blowing as the King of the country of the Cards. He was also the story teller, and both were so differently done. I am in awe of this actor. Heyyyy Ricksha…. Rest of the cast was very competent. Rii Sen looked hot and was a perfect choice for the role of the widow and the Queen.
At last I would say that the film is good not great though. But I don't mind a sequel where the 2 boys travel to another land and instigate another revolution. The rigid community of the sun broken apiece by the mystic moon. Thus bringing in a change in another storyteller's life.