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This is Pardeep Sarkar’s second movie. The movie to follow Parineeta had to be at least equal to it if not better. It isn’t! Parineeta’s USP was the strong story penned by a giant of Bengali literature. LCMG is at the mercy of the pretenders of prose in Bollywood. I concede the idea had promise but stands underdeveloped. Both the director and the story writer must apportion the blame.
But hey, everything is not bad here. The movie starts with a feel good note. The visuals throughout are stunning. Cameraman, please take a bow as should the choreographer. Shantanu Moitra’s (did I get the name right) music is different and brilliant in patches. “Hum to aise hain bhaiya” gives the movie a promising start. The vivacity and the colour and the traditions of Benaras have been faithfully captured in this opening sequence. I could smell the fragrance of the Benarasi paan and relish the sweetness of rabri and the heady intoxicating Bhaang. Long haired priests, mace swinging young men, quirky foreigners getting their ears cleaned and naked children diving into Ganga get a fair representation. When the action shifts to Mumbai the development of the story stops sizzling. A word here about the char(acters). Each casting is an inspired one. I would say that if ever a team of actors had to rescue a movie through sheer powerhouse performances then LCMG would be right up the tree. I could not fault any of the actors. Kunal Kapoor is surely but steadily finding his feet. Why, even his hair is now almost as long as mine. Jaya Bachhan and Anupam Kher are the perennial professionals. Hema Bhabi was the surprise package. I know most will disagree but I thought Rani Mukerjee was a little below par. And my Oscar goes to Konkona Sen. She is out of this world and each of her performance after Page 3 ought to find its way in the text books of wannabe actors. She is the life of this movie which would have been kaput, zilch, andaa without her powerful presence.
So what do I think of the movie? If you believe in fairytales you might like it. If you are the average practical type the interval may be good time to go home and watch soap. If you are a cynic you are better off staying at home. If you are a must do movie buff like me you will find a lot of things you like which you will forget as soon the cameras stop rolling.
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