Zulfiqar movie review: The fault, dear Srijit, is not in your stars, but in your story telling

With popular Bengali stars like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee, Kaushik Sen and Dev, Zulfiqar opens with a convincing introduction. Srijit Mukherji introduces us to the system of black marketing in the ports of Kolkata. Following the Shakespearean adaptation of Julius Ceasar and Anthony and Cleopatra, the film portrays the story of Zulfiqar Ahmed, the prominent leader of The Syndicate (a powerful organisation which looks after the happenings in the heart of the city).

The organisation The Syndicate is much like a pack of wolves who work together. Every time they see the rise of a lion within their members, his or her wings are chopped off. Baseer Khan (Brutus), is a nationalist and a gangster who does not support terrorism. Planting false evidence, Kashinath Kundu (Cassius) manages to convince Baseer that Zulfiqar was the real mastermind behind letting LeT terrorists inside the premises Bengal.

The film could have told a good story of brotherhood, hatred, love, friendship, betrayal and rise and fall of the members of Syndicate but somehow, the fake accents, the inclusion of love songs and the melodrama spoils most of the film. The usage of sexual innuendos was not even witty but plain and simple loathful. Towards the end, I was almost convinced that I was watching a Bengali crime drama adapted from a random Hindi film rather than an adaptation of Shakespeare.

Watch Zulfiqar trailer here

It was impossible to believe this came from the same director who once treated us to Autograph, Jaatishwar and Chotuskone. Had they called it just another Bengali crime drama instead of a Shakespearean adaptation, it would probably have been less disappointing.

Zulfiqar could have saved itself from becoming a complete disaster had it not thought of doling out to mediocrity.