Kuler Achaar review: Vikram Chatterjee and Madhumita Sarcar’s family drama tastes stale despite solid performances

3/5

Story: After marrying Pritam Sen (Vikram Chatterjee), the bride Mithi (Madhumita Sarcar) decides to retain her surname, Roy. The lives of the newly married couple turns completely chaotic on their honeymoon and Pritam randomly blames Mithi’s stubbornness in her decision not to change her surname. Back home, Pritam’s father Pronotosh (Sujan Mukhopadhyay) and mother Mitali (Indrani Haldar) realise the real social repercussions of not changing surnames and react very differently. Pronotosh is old-school and along with his friends, he thinks that Mithi should take their family's surname, that is, Sen. However, all hell breaks loose when Mitali decides to revive her family name Haldar.

Review: The film begins on a hilarious note when newly married Mithi and Pritam get arrested from a shoddy hotel during a raid aimed at busting a prostitution racket. At the police station, the duo fail to convince the officer that they are married as they have different surnames. Incidentally, taciturn Pritam blames Mithi for her decision not to change her surname. Mithi, the temperamental and pampered child that she is, refuses to forgive him and storms back to Kolkata.

The film starts at a fast and gripping pace but loses the charm midway because of this unconvincing tiff between Mithi and Pritam. Meanwhile, the bickering between Pronotosh and Mitali seems to be real and effective. Side-by-side, the film turns into a sweet narrative between sasuri and bouma (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law). The two women come close to each other because of their common understanding of each other’s family pride.

The film also presents a very convincing performance from everyone. Sujan Mukherjee is a seasoned actor and he effortlessly makes the adamant Pronotosh a very convincing character. Pritam is a soft-spoken, to an extent unsmart, young man. Vikram portrays the character with plusible diligence. He exuberates the typical middle-class sentiments very appropriately. The film, however, revolves around Madhumita. She is bubbly and moody. The actress does a good job in portraying the character. Arijita appears in only a couple of scenes as Mitali’s sister and she makes you notice her for her natural presence and delivery.

The real problem of the film is its conflict. No crisis seems to be convincing enough for the hullabaloo that the film portrays. The social message of women empowerment is somewhat cliched and overexposed, especially for the audience in metros, where an issue over changing surnames after marriage seems to be a bit blah and outdated. The issue of empowerment gets lost midway when the script refuses to take any progressive stand. Among many other possibilities, the argument brewed over Pronotosh and Malati seems more convincing than that of Mithi’s. Malati’s character is lovely and hence, her grit becomes closer to the heart than the film as a whole.

Verdict: It is a one-time watch for its feel-good factor, as also for the efforts of the actors and actresses. Also, the two songs by Prosener Dolbol are melodious. Both the songs recur a number of times and they fit perfectly well with the film. Finally, it is a family drama and can offer a good watch on the weekend.