Antyaja Kaal
CAT INDEX
CAT INDEX OVERVIEW
SCREENPLAY
MAKING
ACTING
Antyaja Kaal | Reviewed by Gaurav Dutta
“Antyaja Kaal”, a documentary film directed by Amitava Halder focuses on the folk cultures run through in the subdivision of Murshidabad Kandi, West Bengal. The film’s special feature is how it captures the realism of the culture in the location. The film shows us all three types of ancient rural cultures near the Ganges plane in Bengal.
In the movie, the camera focuses on showing the dances of these folk people, one of them being “Bolan” where men dress as women to enact a performance that is part of their tradition. A tradition followed from ancient times. Some of the actors in the plays being performed speak to the audience about their experiences and how enthusiastic they are and how beautifully they perform such acts with pleasure. The happiness and joy even after such hectic performances and how gracefully they enact such plays and dances are shown to the audience. The cameraman himself talks to some of the audience, knowing how much they love to watch Bolan, as a matter of fact, we see an eighty or ninety-year-old woman being spoken to, who tells the cameraman, even at this age she loves to come down the roads just to watch “Bolan” because it makes her smile even to this date. She has been watching it since she is alive and she claims to watch “Bolan” as long as she lives as it brings her happiness. The native people and their thoughts have been beautifully captured through this film.
There are comedic plays done by these performers in the middle of the roads, and pavements. They don’t always need a stage to perform and don’t intend to be rewarded for such performance. They do such performances because it’s their traditional culture and it brings them immense pleasure.
Amitava Halder, the director has pulled out some beautiful elements in the small section of India, and it brings a pure and traditional feel throughout the onset of the film.
Gaurav Dutta is a B.com graduate from Kolkata, schooling from St. Joseph’s College having a passion for writing since childhood. On the other hand, he also excels in the career of accounting and finance. A writer by his own choice, and aims to make a mark in the gaming industry through his coding abilities.
