Master Anshuman movie review: The Bengali film banks on familiarity and fun

Originally set in Rajasthan, the narrative revolves around the adventures of a boy called Anshuman (Samontak Dyuti Maitra) who travels there to act in a feature film. On the sets, he befriends stuntman captain Krishnan (Som Chattopadhyay) and together they solve the mystery of a stolen gem. The easy camaraderie shared by the duo is one of the high points of the film.

Chatterjee’s adaptation, while remaining faithful to the original, unfolds in Darjeeling, a favorite holiday destination for Bengalis, with a few modifications here and there to meet the demands of the screen as well as to give it a contemporary feel. For instance, Anshuman is a good cricket player, tech savvy and well versed with the digital world.

The filmmaker knows his audience well — the schoolgoers and their parents brought up on a steady diet of Ray’s books and films. Master Anshuman, which recently released in West Bengal, keeps matters fairly straightforward with just enough twists along the way to sustain interest in a two-hour long film. Though Chatterjee has charted his own course, what has helped the filmmaker is his deep understanding of the auteur’s style of filmmaking. He had worked with maestro’s son Sandip Ray for a few years and made an acclaimed documentary titled Feluda: 50 years of Ray’s Detective, based on a fictional character that is immensely popular in Bengal.

He works with a competent cast, some of whom are big names in Bengali theatre and television. The over-the-top performance by the villain Jaggu (Rajatava Dutt) in a couple of scenes is a deliberate ploy to regale his young audience who needs some entertainment in the middle of a long summer vacation. The camera does a splendid job of capturing the scenic beauty of the hill station. The director has written part of the lyrics and composed music for the lone song that adds to the charm of the film.

However, towards the end the film falters, especially in the fight scenes where the special effects needed more attention. Master Anshuman could have done away with a few minutes had the editing been a little tighter. But Ray fans will have enough to take back home as Chatterjee packs quite a punch in his latest outing.