A witty tale of unrestrained female fury

A story of three generations of women and an auspicious box of jewels, this riveting tale by Aparna Sen is aimed at annihilating centuries of social stigma and established draconian traditions. The women of the story each have their own inner demons to overcome, but unfortunately, it is a losing effort. However, a box of jewelry, interestingly enough, comes to their rescue. Today’s film for our Lost and Found podcast is the Bengali film Goynar Baksho. Directed by Aparna Sen, the film excellently portrays the transition from the post-independence era to the liberation war and the changes in people that came with time.

The idea of liberation plays a vital role in the film thematically – from women being shackled by social norms to the literal liberation of a nation. Several films have discussed such themes, but Sen’s unique approach is a breath of fresh air. The trauma endured by the three women, ranging from partition, loss of inheritance, patriarchy, and alienation helps them find their purpose in life, and it forms the crux of the story.

An element of horror has also been layered into the narrative. The newlywed Somlatha played by Konkana Sen Sharma inadvertently ends up with a box of jewelry containing 500 bhari of gold and the ghost of Pishima aka Rahmoni, portrayed by Moushumi Chatterjee. Widowed at the age of 12, Pishima had nothing left but her wedding jewels, so she made sure that the jewelry would not be passed down to anyone else after her death, until, however, Somlatha finds it.

The other central character of the film is Chaitali, Somlatha’s daughter, a modern Indian woman of the seventies for whom a box of jewelry is nothing but mere capital. Ultimately, the film implores whether Goynar Baksho, which translates to box of jewelry, becomes something more than it was intended for.

If you haven't watched this thought-provoking masterpiece, it's available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar or Hoichoi.

Well that's the OTTplay Lost and Found for today, until the next time it's your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho

• Written by Sneha Singh