Uma: Celebration of Humanity and Love

 Film: Uma

Directed by: Srijit Mukherji

Rating: 8/10

How far can you go for the sake of your child? Can you go to the extent of changing the entire world around you, just to see the innocent smile on your child's face? Well, perhaps this is the question which Srijit Mukherji has endeavoured to answer and has, in the process, portrayed the inner conscience and humanity of mankind, through his latest film, "Uma".

Inspired from true happenings at a village in Canada back in 2015 and the story of Evan Leversage, the story revolves around an eight-year old girl Uma (played by Sara Sengupta), who lives with her father, Mr. Himadri Sen (Jishhu) in Switzerland. True to her name, she is fascinated about the festivities of Durga Puja in Kolkata and loves to hear stories about the same from her father. But she earnestly desires to go to kolkata and witness the gala celebrations that precede the festivities, along with full-scale celebrations during the 5 days of the graceful occasion. One day, Himadri is summoned by the doctor who informs him that Uma has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and has barely three months of survival. Result? The shattered father, embarks on a desperate mission, with the seemingly impossible dream of fulfilling her daughter's long-time wish of witnessing the grand festival of Kolkata. Will he succeed in bringing a smile on his daughter's face?

It is indeed challenging when it comes to adapting a true incident on screen, and particularly when it is an extraordinary one, the job becomes even tougher. And it is heartening to see that Srijit Mukherji has scored full in every way possible in this film. The story has been so well constructed, that it is always keeping the audience absorbed. Never do we find incidents that are not in parity with the practical world. The dialogues have been well written, sometimes quite humorous, to maintain a balance of emotions and light moments in the film. The primary protagonist here is humanity and intrinsic feelings of man, which drives him towards his goal. In fact, human affection has amalgamated with every loose string of the network of characters in the film, which makes the film so emotional and touching.

The biggest strength of the film, undoubtedly, lies in the acting department. Credit goes to the director for choosing the finest cast that is completely suited to the characters required to be portrayed by them. Jisshu is quite convincing as a vulnerable yet strong-willed father, aspiring to fulfil something impossible. He is really good while showing in-depth emotions with Uma, who too, has been portrayed by his daughter, Sara. Rudranil as an art producer carries a sense of humour and swag thorughout the film, making the character realistic. Special mention must be made of Anirban Bhattacharya, playing a devout Hindu (Mahitosh Sur) who is bent on stopping the proceedings of celebrating the festival at an alternative time, which he considers sinful and disrespectful towards religious beliefs. In fact, the director has tried to bring out the religious intolerance we are facing in today's world through his character, and he has portrayed it with zeal. But the man who steals the show is undoubtedly Anjan Dutt, who plays Brahmananda Chakraborty- a "successfully failed" filmmaker, who considers making of this unique project as an opportunity of creating a masterpiece, and takes full responsibility. The way Anjan Dutt has portrayed this character is simply a treat to watch. He looks so natural and realistic on screen that it makes you feel mesmerized and leaves you in a state of trance. Every dialogue delivery of his, every scene of excitement (especially during the climax) get an extra weightage when he is on screen. It seems that with every film, Anjan Dutt is redefining and re-inventing himself as a top-class actor. Needless to say, the cast choice of Srijit Mukherji is commendable. The rest of the co-actors- Sujan Mukhopadhyay , Abhijeet Guha, Srabonti and others have also done great on-screen work, doing full justice to every character they have brought out.

An usual trait of any Srijit Mukherji film is the presence of soulful music, and "Uma" is certainly not an exception. The music has been composed by, and lyrics have been written by none other than anupam Roy, which certainly add to the film's grandeur. Every song has its own mood, its own emotions, its own impact on the proceedings of the film. "Hariye jaowar gaan" by Anupam Roy depicts the melancholic state of mind of a shattered father who hears of his daughter's pitiable condition. "Esho bondhu" by Sidhu and Pota depicts collective effort by people for a genuine cause, and "Jaago Uma" by Rupankar during the climax of the film adds to its brilliance. As usual, Soumik Halder's photography and camerawork is engaging, with the picturesque brilliance of Switzerland and the emotion-filled visuals of Kolkata- the city we can always fall in love with. 

Thus, in a nutshell, Uma is nothing short of a masterpiece by Srijit Mukherji, probably his best directorial. Tbh, "Uma" is beyond being just a cinema; it is a graceful entanglement of various moods and emotions with the subtle touch of love, affection and humanity. It is a highly inspirational film that highlights "where there is will, there is a way." It is definitely a must-watch film for all.

জাগো বিস্ময়, জাগো স্পন্দন, 

জাগো জাগো ঊমা !

Written by : Soumitri Chattopadhyay