Shohorer Ushnotomo Dine review: Vikram and Solanki’s drama is a fresh tale of dreamers

3/5

Story: Ritoban (Vikram Chatterjee) comes back to Kolkata from abroad and tries to rekindle with his girlfriend Anindita (Solanki Roy). Their college gang – Rehan (Rahul Dev Bose), Sayak (Debopriyo Mukherjee), and Christine (Anindita Chakraborty) – reunites. The film shuttles between the past of their college days and the present as they reshape their lives and dreams. 

Review: Shohorer Ushnotomo Dine is young and fresh. It talks about Gen Z, which still cares about the romance of Kolkata in its unique way. It is different from the millennial gaze that is so much defined by The Bong Connection. Aritra Sen’s Shohorer Ushnotomo Dine (SUD) explores old subjects like North versus South Kolkata, privileged versus middle-class families, go-getters versus struggling friends, and so on. But he presents the film in a newly minted time capsule.  

The non-linear journey of the film is thoroughly enjoyable. It feels like we take two steps forward and then a step backward to finally see the narrative unfurls itself. The past and present are deeply intertwined, and one is almost incomplete without the other. The screenplay is surely its forte. 

Also read: Shohorer Ushnotomo Dine director Aritra Sen: Casting Vikram and Solanki happened magically 

The next engaging bit of the film is the acting of a bunch of actors. Vikram and Solanki are known to be a hit couple on television. However, their chemistry is equally attractive for those who have not an iota of their hit mega serial, Ichhe Nodee. They are smart and very convincing as Rito and Ani. Vikram has been surprising us with his performance in each of his films. Solanki shines bright on the screen. Debopriyo and Rahul fit the characters to the T. Ani plays the character of Christine, and she seems a little uncomfortable in the broken Bengali diction. Anindya Chatterjee looks shrewd. Siddhartha’s mansplaining is unbearable, and there lies the actor’s success. Sujoy Prosad Chatt erjee’s presence comes as a soothing relief in the clamour of Ani’s life. The sets of parents – Sudipa Basu and Debesh Roychowdhury and Reshmi Sen and Siddhartha Chatterjee – are good within their space.    

The weakness of the film lies in its dialogue. They suffer from monotony and often sound sloppy, sentimental, and over-the-top. They don’t seem to be convincing at all. Also, the film fails to transcend beyond the usual tropes of Kolkata. It banks on nostalgia that is abundantly used in Bengali films.  

Verdict: All in all, SUD offers freshness. The overall performance is charming. Watch it for Vikram and Solanki’s sizzling chemistry, very different expressions of love, and the idea of Kolkata that gives us warmth.