This low-budget film – its production a precise reflection of the realm of the possible – flouts the boundaries between feature and documentary, and captures the atmosphere of Kolkata. The carnival of life, full of colourful characters and candor, makes it a worthy successor to 1969’s “Calcutta” by Louis Malle. These city streets are redolent of incense, spicy food and rivulets of refuse, where a sea of humanity worships countless deities, each just as colourful in their own right.
The main character of THE STAGNANT is a man named Krishna who makes his living in the middle of the busy streets by doing celebrity impersonations in the form of statue art: Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus or Karl Marx in pantomime, to name a few. But he isn’t an actor, as Krishna Bairag does this in real life. His on-screen companions are his uncle Nepal Kaka, who pastes up posters for porn films, and mask seller Ranu.
Film maker Bikramjit Gupta, making his debut here, gives us the feel of this big city with Chaplinesque satire and humour. Naturally there is a love story here, too, which for the silent protagonist is beautiful, sad and unexpected, like the melancholy undertone of the entire film, with plenty of laughter, but always a touch of sadness.
Kaarel Kuurmaa
Achal: The Stagnant
Achal
Genre
Drama
Director
Bikramjit Gupta
Run time
1h 31min
Cast
Krishna Bairagi, Subir Banerjee, Taranga Sarkar
Genre
Drama
Director
Bikramjit Gupta
Run time
1h 31min
Cast
Krishna Bairagi, Subir Banerjee, Taranga Sarkar
This low-budget film – its production a precise reflection of the realm of the possible – flouts the boundaries between feature and documentary, and captures the atmosphere of Kolkata. The carnival of life, full of colourful characters and candor, makes it a worthy successor to 1969’s “Calcutta” by Louis Malle. These city streets are redolent of incense, spicy food and rivulets of refuse, where a sea of humanity worships countless deities, each just as colourful in their own right.
The main character of THE STAGNANT is a man named Krishna who makes his living in the middle of the busy streets by doing celebrity impersonations in the form of statue art: Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus or Karl Marx in pantomime, to name a few. But he isn’t an actor, as Krishna Bairag does this in real life. His on-screen companions are his uncle Nepal Kaka, who pastes up posters for porn films, and mask seller Ranu.
Film maker Bikramjit Gupta, making his debut here, gives us the feel of this big city with Chaplinesque satire and humour. Naturally there is a love story here, too, which for the silent protagonist is beautiful, sad and unexpected, like the melancholy undertone of the entire film, with plenty of laughter, but always a touch of sadness.
Kaarel Kuurmaa
The main character of THE STAGNANT is a man named Krishna who makes his living in the middle of the busy streets by doing celebrity impersonations in the form of statue art: Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus or Karl Marx in pantomime, to name a few. But he isn’t an actor, as Krishna Bairag does this in real life. His on-screen companions are his uncle Nepal Kaka, who pastes up posters for porn films, and mask seller Ranu.
Film maker Bikramjit Gupta, making his debut here, gives us the feel of this big city with Chaplinesque satire and humour. Naturally there is a love story here, too, which for the silent protagonist is beautiful, sad and unexpected, like the melancholy undertone of the entire film, with plenty of laughter, but always a touch of sadness.
Kaarel Kuurmaa
Info
Rating
(none)
Production year
2012
Global distributor
Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ
Local distributor
Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ
In cinema
11/28/2012