Runanubandha (The He Without Him) - Indie movie review

 Runanubandha: A Journey of Daughter pursuing her Father

Edited and directed by- Amartya Bhattacharyya (Script, Cinematography)

Produced by Swastik Choudhury.

Cast- Priyanka Ghosh Roy, Swastik Choudhury, Sanjita Mukherjee, Urbi Sengupta, Amartya Bhattacharyya.

Nandan II – 3:15pm (From August 27)

Runanubandha (The He Without Him)is a spiritual term that means physical memory.

Courtesy: Swastik Arthouse

The film had its premiere at the famed 41st Moscow International Film Festival 2019. Furthermore, Runanubandha won four international awards including Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Editor, in the 2019 Directors Cut Int'l Film Festival.

The story explores a daughter's search for her poet father in the metropolitan city Kolkata. The daughter comes to Kolkata and rents a room, there she meets Bhola the caretaker of the house. On her journey to find her father she meets up with a photographer, a dramatist, a librarian, Lalita (a prostitute, her father's mistress), Thontkata Bidghute, a director (who wants to make a movie with her), and others on her trail. 

Runanubandha moves forward with another parallel narrative of a mythological tale, wherein, the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma is attracted to his daughter. The film unfolds with the absurd, abstract, enigmatic journey and we experience through the lens of daughter Satarupa.

Courtesy: Swastik Arthouse

The author spoke to the director, Amartya Bhattacharyya. He shared his views and said,

 “Runanubandha is my third feature film and my first in Bangla. The approach of the film is very candid, and I've shot with as minimal crew as possible so that the people on the streets don't get conscious. There were days, whereby I've shot alone, and sometimes just two of us - myself and my actor. So, it's not just the concept that's different, but also the making. I'm not fond of sets. There are no sets in the film, no art direction, no makeup. Just capturing life and the narrative subtly placed in real images. It's a film that everyone must watch. So far, we've got a wonderful response.”

Runanubandha  subtly breaks the fourth wall by the straight look into the lens but rather by the script and narrative approach. Though there are some camera jerks and jump editing which disrupt the flow of the narrative and ruffle the mood.

View the official trailer here.

The cast includes, Tushar Roy as Thotkata Bidghute, Sanjita Mukherjee as Lolita, Himadri Shekhar Mukharjee, Priyanka Ghosh Roy as Satarupa, and Amartya Bhattacharyya’s voiceover were quite impressive. However, Swastik Choudhury as Bhola stood out from others. 

Some other sections which enhanced the thematic content like lighting, music by Kisaloy Roy, sound design by Sujay Das. There is also a song by Rupam Islam.

Courtesy: Swastik Arthouse

The director said, 

“Runanubandha was received very well at prestigious festivals like Moscow, Oakland, Cardiff among others. We've got some wonderful feedback from all around the world, including four international awards. It's great that the film has now been released in Kolkata and the people of the city are getting to watch this critically acclaimed film.”

So, we recommend our readers to go and watch this film and support the independent movie industry.

Author: 

Souvik Paul