Chotushkone (2014)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Admirable film.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Chotushkone or Quadrangle is a Bengali mystery and thriller movie revolving around the life of four people associated with Bengali cinema. The central characters- Trina, played by Aparna Sen, Dipto, played by Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Shakha, played by Goutam Ghose and Joybroto, played by Parambrata Chatterjee are hired by an apparently mysterious producer to make a film by stitching four different short stories with a common theme- 'death.' During their discussions about the project and their journey to meet this producer they open to us their emotions, attachments, regrets and secrets of their past. Here it must be said that this movie breathes a fresh air from the ossified Bengali mystery-thriller genre. It has enough elements to be liked by both the present and the past generations.The story is interesting, actors do a good job (though I didn't understand the concept behind selection of so many other well known actors for bit roles), the music by Anupam Roy led by Bosonto Eshe Geche is good.However the real star of the movie is director Srijit Mukherji. He does an outstanding job of storytelling previously unseen (by me at least) in Indian cinema. He story unfolded by him is of perfect pace to keep our interest aroused. I do not want to give away any spoilers, so watch the movie instead. Contrary to accusations of gimmicky camera-work in his previous movies he uses it brilliantly here and funnily his characters sometimes speaks of the camera-work they're going to use in their short stories as if the director wants to tell us that he is working on this aspect of film making. His characters accept some shortcomings of the film itself (again watch the film) which equally unique!! All in all Chotushkone is certainly a must watch for any movie lovers. A tribute the film industry, it shows the growing presence Srijit among the best directors of modern Bengali cinema.

I would've liked to rate this movie a '6.5', but unfortunately IMDb did not let me to do that, so in the end I decided to settle for six stars. The six stars are for the fact that the film had great potential to be an excellent one that leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the audiences deserving a whooping 7.5 stars , but somehow this one quite missed the mark,though not completely, and ended up being just about above average. Watching "Chotushkone" was deja vu in terms of my viewing experience for some of Srijit Mukherjee's other, widely acclaimed works like "Autograph" and "Jaatishwaar"- all well-executed plots with glaringly obvious loopholes that are rather hard to fathom and harder to digest, especially coming from a filmmaker of Mukherjee's caliber.All in all, a project well executed, with all the required ingredients for greatness like commendable performances, good music, a suspenseful plot with a twist ending that moves at an adequate pace to be able to cast its spell on its viewers and leave an impression. However, specific sequences of the film, especially towards the end are boiler plate, watered down versions that leave a lot to be desired. Like they say, the devil is really in the details.

'Chotushkone' if translated into English, would probably mean 'Four Corners'. The beginning of the film throws a question on the identity of the three characters - the woman who commits suicide, the man, and the little child. They have been blurred tactfully.The sub plot enacted by Payel, Indrashish and Rahul create an enigma regarding their connection to the main plot. Every time they appear, the quench arises - when and how will they connect with the main plot. The sub plots have been smoothly blended, and the climax resolves all the dilemmas. The topsy and turvy nature of the climax was like a bolt from the blue. Unexpected and that's why amazing. A few things that need special mention - 1. Chiranjit appeared in a new avatar in his acting career. Truly praiseworthy.2. Kaushik Ganguly acted freely and brilliantly. The best I would say in the film.3. The film has been shot in a variety of hues. Colour, Black and white and the three stories in Green, Red and Blue. 4. The name of the fictional producer's production house was 'Pandora's Box'. Liked the name. Parambrata mentions it to Aparna the moment they were about to step onto the terrace of Aparna's house. This happens toward's the beginning. Pandora's box was from the Greek myths. They say, that in Pandora's box dwelled four elements. When the box was opened, three escaped from it and spread across the world. The box was a gift of Zeus to Pandora (first woman on Earth) to punish the earthlings. Zeus was annoyed on us as Prometheus had stolen fire from the Olympians and given it to us - mankind. The three elements which escaped from the box were DEATH, DESTRUCTION and DISEASE. When Pandora hurried to close the box, the last element got entrapped and could never come out. It was HOPE. Death, Destruction and Disease can be the three veteran film personnel in the film and the last one Hope represented by Parambrata. His hope that he may seek vengeance against the seekers (unknowingly) of Death, Destruction and Disease to his family. 5. Liked the card playing sequence where Chiranjit and Goutam arrange the cards accordingly. Each of them had three cards. Same set for both. King, Queen and J. King - Chiranjit, Queen - Aparna - and J - Goutam. Deeply connected with their personal lives. 6. Found the walk of a drunkard funny. He looked like a fast walking zombie. Bedosruti Dey encountered this drunkard on the road. The first person whom he knocked for a cigarette. 7. The theme of death gets celebrated in the movie. Begins and ends with death.

A very well written story,solid direction by srijit with a visually tempting execution..with stupendous performances by the lead and supporting casts. Nice composition, Rare Suspense, Good Climax, Remarkable mix up between reel and real.Great story , superb performance by actors.. Mesmerising plot, unexpected twists and turns and melodious songs.. makes it worth watching.A great movie by Sreejit Mukherjee. Unexpected thriller. No doubt amazing acts. Songs are superb. Every thing is perfect. Many many thanks to Sreejit Mukherjee for giving us this types of wonderful movies. All the best.Overall a fantastic movie which will satisfy everyone and its worth your money. Lastly, I would tell that Parambrata has acted like a Pro Actor between others.