Story: Srimati Sen (Rituparna Sengupta) lost her husband Palash Sen (Kaushik Sen) in a car accident two years back. She seeks the help of a lawyer, Jiyon Mitra (Prosenjit Chatterjee) since it doesn’t appear as an accident to her. What happens when this professional association takes an unexpected turn?
Review: There are many ways of looking at why you would want to watch Drishtikone. It marks the coming together of three of the most bankable Bengali film personalities today – Kaushik Ganguly, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Rituparna Sengupta. It raises expectations among the audience after Ganguly’s last few films, including Bishorjon, which received rave reviews from the audience and critics alike. It makes the filmmaker the talk of the town after his recent National Award win for Nagarkirtan. The lead actors in the film grab eyeballs each time they pair up. These are reasons enough, but does the film live up to the expectations?
There’s no quick answer. Promoted as a ‘mature love story’, Drishtikone invites many perceptions. The film is as layered in its flow as it is in its depiction of the characters. The first half further raises your expectations for the director. There are these ‘where would this lead to’ questions that arise in your mind even before the characters concerned would think that way. Jiyon (Prosenjit) and Srimati (Rituparna) crossing paths seem neither destined nor designed. Though the film hints at the latter. What starts with a tip-off (Srimati’s interest in Jiyon) is fully, but not convincingly, explained at the end, with the director arriving at an open ending.
Throughout the film, there’s an over-zealous Srimati (Rituparna), who became a widow two years back, crushing on a married man, her lawyer, Jiyon (Prosenjit). The scenes at Jiyon’s place, where Srimati bonds with his family comprising his wife Rumki (Churni Ganguly), his son and daughter, are well played out. Before the interval, you have a plot that slowly unfolds, a story that can take an unexpected turn and a romance that’s so unusual that you will question their real motives behind the gestures.