Bengali Film Review: Bapi Bari Ja

The title of the film Bapi Bari Ja (Bapi Go Home) is what makes the film sound somewhat like some current offbeat bengali films made in contemporary times. However, after seeing this film one can easily say that it is no where near film like, say for instance Hemlock Society.

The film is set in the background of contemporary north and central kolkata. This makes me think sometimes that how can our audience from around bengal identify themselves with the socio-economic and cultural set up of kolkata with that of the place they are living in.

Anyways! I leave that open for debate and to the good judgment of the film goers themselves. The film revolves around Bapi (the central character after whom the film is named), his 2 male friends and 1 female friend called Dola. In the very first 30 minutes of the film there is an entry of a new girl called Hasna who becomes a part of this friends' group for the rest of the film.

Apart from Bapi (our central character of the film), we don't get to know the financial backgrounds of his friends.However, one can assume that they aren't from as well-to-do families as Bapi. Bapi's father and elder brother is shown as the owner of Anjali Jewellers - one of the biggest jewellery houses in and around kolkata. His friends are not far behind in matching up with the latest style, one loser even had a tattooed hand to woo girls.

All the friends of Bapi including Bapi himself can be labelled as morons, losers, good for nothing callous creatures. Bapi spends entire day sleeping and dreaming about Dola (his friend of school days - 14 years and harbouring secret love for her). Apart from sleeping and dreaming Bapi spends time hanging out with his 4 friends in expensive restaurants, hookah bars and pays for all their bills at all times or he (Bapi) spends time playing computer games. Bapi has a red Maruti Suzuki -Esteem while his 2 male friends could be seen managing a motorbike in one scene and the girls are even more pathetic, they don't own a bicycle either.

The film has shown something very different from what happens in reality to all these dreamers of college days after they graduate. During my times I saw all dreamers have woken up in the third year of their college life and prepared themselves to plunge in further studies or into serious job searching. This is applicable to both boys and girls. However, I could not accept the fact that these bunch of morons stayed as it is even after graduation. Bapi being son of a businessman was a mindless spendthrift to appease his friends. I could not accept the fact that no girl is attracted to a moron billionaire businessman's son with a red esteem but girls flocking to 2 dumb friends of Bapi with tattooed arm and goat beard and living on Bapi's grace.

After gathering enough guts, Bapi proposes to Dola but is let off with a No and a peck on the cheek.After which Bapi decides to get married at 23. The very first girl he was shown as a prospective wife becomes his teacher and makes a man out of him to make him eligible before Dola. In the meantime, the girl - Shiuli ( her name reminds me of shiuli as referred by the character Hat kata kattik in Bhooter Bhabishyat) or should I say Ms. Know-it-all falls for Bapi as he evolves from Ape to contemporary Kolkata guy with Yo and X-factor.

Then Ms. Know-it-all and Bapi parts ways as they both find their own sole destination of life. The film songs aren't good enough to linger in the mind once one gets out of the hall. The film is about losers and morons and bored me to death. The film annoyed me also because it tried to make an age old college flick tale smart and contemporary by trying to inject vulgarity alongside innocence.