Film review: Pendulum

The posters caught my attention at one of the plexes. Interested, I googled the film, only to discover that Pendulum is the first film of a newbie director. Shoukarya Ghoshal is a director to watch out for in the future. Meticulously weaving five parallel stories in one common thread, Shoukarya reminds us we are all slaves of time.

Although a tad bit slow in the beginning, the film picks up pace as the story progresses and keeps the audience hooked with a slice of life in the five stories portrayed in the film.

 

The very first segment sees Subhasish Mukhopadhyay as a painter. A mysterious character, he apparently can teleport people to another land through his paintings. He uses his art to trap Rajesh Sharma, the promoter, who is after his life to vacate the house. Shankar (Shantilal Mukherjee) is a driver, who dreams of owning a garage one day. Then there’s this love story of Baban (Samadarshi) and Nandita (Radhika). While Baban is a college student, his girlfriend Nandita works in an ad agency. Baban has a rival in Bony, who too is in love with Nandita but is scared of approaching her. Instead, he fantasizes about her. Rajatava happens to be Baban’s Bangla teacher, whose wife meets with an accident. Ani aka Anindya Banerjee plays a visually challenged songwriter. He is married to Bublu (Sreelekha), a professor of English. The couple seems to be in love till Swapnasree makes an entry.

– Times of India

Every actor has performed their role to perfection. The oblique references to the works of great filmmakers like Bergman is a plus. The nuances of daily life in Kolkata finds a place in the film, where the city itself is a character.

A slice-of-life film, sprinkled with a hint of magic realism, it does complete a full circle. The switch from one track to another is executed well. Edited brilliantly, the film retains its freshness due to the short duration. One can safely say that Shoukarya has arrived, and how!

My Rating: 4/5 stars

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