আশ্চর্য প্রদীপ (২০১৩)

Based on the short story of Shirshendu Mukhopadhay, this film is directed by Anik Dutta(his second feature film & he is already popular with his witty script & dialogues). It is made especially for the Bong audience as it involves every emotion of the Bengali people. Here the protagonist character ANILDA(played by Saswata Chatterjee) is a middle-class Bengali man who works at a company for sales promotion & lives with a typical ambitious Bengali wife(Sreelekha Mitra) who is jealous of her brother in law for their high profile lifestyle.

The title "আশ্চর্য প্রদীপ" meaning "ASTONISHING LAMP" plays an important role by creating a world of fantasy in the audience's mind before watching the film like me.

Frustrated with the normal stagnant life, ANILDA (If you jumble the word, it comes like  A N A D I L /A L A D I N ) by coincidence found a lamp on the side of a street. He then took it to his house unaware of something magical inside the lamp.

Anilda truly believes in numerology & 4 is his lucky number. He always try to relate every incident in his life like buying lottery, finishing a task on a particular date, buying property etc. with his belief of lucky number 4.Director Anik Dutta, also introduced the concept of numerology in his first movie “BHOOTER BHABISHYAT”.

At one point of time we all get frustrated when life seems to be static & we look for a change. In real life change may or may not come but in the film “আশ্চর্য্য প্রদীপ ” a দৈত্য  (genie played by Rajatava Dutta) comes out of the lamp & fulfills the materialistic desires of Anilda.

What are the desires? Here comes the main part of entertainment as well as the transformation we have been through these decades.

Since we are aware of the fantasy, comedy film “GOOPY GYNE BAGHA BYNE”(1969) directed by Satyajit Ray that is based on 3 boons given by the king of Ghosts in a forest to 2 village men who were roaming around to sing for the people without any demand of power, money, status etc.

At that point of time there were few options but less confusion. People knew about their particular desire & they were happy. But now the scenario is different. I am sharing one song of the movie "ASCHORJYO PRODEEP"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24DHATJdQfs

These songs can’t be compared but director Anik dutta with his impressive lyrics & whimsical sense of humor has shown the changes we have undergone for the last few decades & if we get a chance in our real life, we won’t be able to choose our happiness. Even 3 boons are not sufficient nowadays to fulfill our unlimited desires. We are running towards something shallow & are moving away from happiness.

Here the story of this film continues to move on a circle leaving behind one question— What is happiness?