Jahnabi, a word denoting women, river and, the cord connecting the both is a film worth watching for parallel films lovers. Directed by an independent director Anirban Dutta the film is a good combination of an art film and a message reflecting the images of women in different situations on the glittering drops of the river.
The film starts with the mythological story of the formation of the river ‘Jahnabi’, being narrated by a boatman played by Jaggannath Mondol. The film is a representation of women in different forms and the emotions they go through which is metaphorically the same as a river that stands alone throughout its course. The protagonist Jahnabi, played by Jahnabi Mitra, is the representation of women displaying different moods and phases. The film establishes a parallel track between a woman and a river, where both of them go through many different phases and emotions of life and irrespective of every situation, each of them fulfils the responsibilities of being a Mother.
The story of Jahnabi is not just the story of a particular woman or womankind as a whole. It is the story of humanity, and the river flows through it, in her reality and her dreams like lifeblood itself. The film is beautifully directed with minimal or no dialogues and just poetry expressions embedded in the scenes where Lohit and Jahnabi express their love to each other. The scenes transit from one mood to another in a smoother way. All the goodies are in the kitty bag of the director for the film Jahnabi – The Film which has been selected for screening in many film festivals and film groups have accumulated much appreciation for the message the film throws at the society.
Though the film is well executed few scenes have consumed much of the film’s time to show the impact of the scenes which could have been evaded. Otherwise, such a film by an independent director is sure to get a 4 star out of 5 stars. A must-watch film for audiences who love to understand movies and the underlined message. The cast has done a brilliant job both the characters Jahnabi acted by Jahnabi Mitra and Lohit played by Ranadhir Biswas have extracted the essence of the characters into their acting. It is much more difficult to act where there are no dialogues and the expressions become the last resort to make audiences understand.
The scenes where the protagonist stands alone and imagines someone to love her make a parallel connection where the river shall never meet the banks. The demise of Lohit that leaves Jahnabi stranded in the midst of life is well articulated and leaves a sensitive touch in the hearts of the audience.
Every scene in the film is the art of expression to convey the director’s message. The film will surely leave its audience to have some time of its own to contemplate. Happy watching the film!
