Metropolis@Kolkata Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay
India, 2010, 95 Minutes, Bengali (with English Subtitles), US Premiere Cast- Arun Mukhopadhyay, Anjan Dutt, Biplab Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Sreelekha Mitra, Kabir Suma
Megacity Kolkata hides many worlds inside it. This film explores several facets of life in the city, through three intertwining stories, documenting the loves, fears, joys, sorrows, insecurities, and confidences of people who, despite vast differences, seem to merge in one great long flow of humanity.
Manmatha belongs to the upper echelons of the new, burgeoning middle class. He is spending an entire night at the emergency ward of a state hospital. It is in the hospital that Manmatha meets Jagadish, a lower middle class man, whose son, a soccer goalkeeper, is fighting a deadly stomach injury. Manmatha is completely baffled by Jagadish’s unruffled, serene attitude. A violent street gang conflict near the hospital prompts Manmatha and Jagadish to retreat to Manmatha's car, where they see the outside world ……
Biren is jobless and lives in the borders of the city. Bombs are exploded and bullets fired near a construction site in the neighborhood when there is gang dispute over extortions. Biren begins to ask all and sundry: “I have nothing to fear. Do I?” He gets the same answer: “What do you have to fear?” And yet Biren cannot get over his fear. An unknown terror grips him. But, unfortunately, Biren’s worst fears come true. In the tumult of the city, it is impossible to discern when and from what source a bullet might arrive and pick a head from the crowd.
Rohit and Rongili are currently separated. Rohit is a US-returned MBA who works for a multinational and makes loads of money. It was a dazzlingly packaged life that was empty at the core. But something strange happened to Rohit on the day of the lunar eclipse..
Suman Mukhopadhyay has directed three feature films ‘Mahanagar@Kolkata’ (2009), ‘Chaturanga’ (2008) and ‘Herbert’ (2005). ‘Herbert’ was given the National Award for Best Regional Film. Suman has done productions ranging from European drama to major adaptations of Bengali masterpieces and productions of Indian plays. To mention a few: ‘King Lear,’ ‘Bisarjan,’ ‘Teesta Paarer Brittanto,’ ‘Mephisto,’ ‘Raktakarabi,’ ‘Little Clay Cart,’ ‘Nagamandala,’ ‘Man of the Heart and Fireface.’ He has been conferred with many awards and participated in various national and international theatre and film festivals. He was a British Academy Fellow and recently invited to Barbican Centre, London with the play Man of the Heart.
With: My Lad Directed by Sami Khan
UK, 2010, 13 minutes, New York Premiere
Abdul has been hiding out in his launderette for days, unable to deal with the world outside. Despite pleas from his brother to face his demons, Abdul is determined to run from the one thing he has to accept-fate.
