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Kaal (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
Kaal is a Bengali
film released in 2007
. The film directed by Bappaditya Bandopadhyay
stars Chandrayee Ghosh
, Rudranil Ghosh
, Dola Chakraborty, Sandhya Shetty.
It was selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival
, 2007, the Sao Paulo International Film Festival
2007 and the Stockholm International Film Festival
2007. Incidentally, this is the third successive year that Bandopadhyay's film is being screened at Sao Paulo International Film Festival
. The film was already successfully screened at the Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema
, 2007, where it was one of the Indian films competing in the festival.
KAAL is an introspective journey into the lives of four women who are trapped in the world of human trafficking because of poverty. They are lured by an agent who promises them a better life in a distant city. Betrayed in love and let down by family members, they change their names and sneak into a metropolis.
The real drama unfolds when the young women, utterly lost in the city's glitter and glamor, become call-girls for the sake of survival. Slowly their dreams change, they now hunger for more money in the new environment. Four girls are abducted in various ways by the local middleman Ratan (Rudranil Ghosh
). They are assembled at a remote place on the border of the village. The girls depart to Kolkata by different routes with various agents. On arriving, they are taken to the business headquarters and Ratan takes his payment from the boss of the racket, who is a woman. Ranidi (the boss, played by Sandhya Shetty) grooms the depressed and oppressed girls and gives them a complete make over in a short time.
The movie depicts the corruption associated with their entire business. The girls accept the fact that money is better than sunshine and sweeter than honey. They forget their miserable past. They get caught up in making more money and buying more fun. They understand that surviving in this treacherous world is not possible through love, honesty and humanity. Hence they let themselves drain away in the world of consuming and consumption. The girls are shown traveling to the top hotels in Kolkata
. The middleman Ratan is shown trying to go to Singapore
. The village police inspector and the other partners in the game(Indian Border Security Force) continue to operate.
The movie concludes on a negative note. It depicts the basic reality of how simple girls from villages all over India are being stolen, sold and used in the open market of sex and lust in metropolitan cities. The movie shows a never-ending oppression of women and decay of human values. Things become intriguing when a European girl, who has suffered the same fate at the hands of the traffickers, starts sharing their apartment.
by personnel of the Border Security Force
. The director says that his film is on human trafficking and is based on NGO reports. He is now waiting for the revision committee to see his film. "The problem is that any criticism against any authority is met with iron clamps. The basic principles of democracy are being violated and the right to self-expression is either denied completely, or censored conveniently," says Bappaditya.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
film released in 2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
. The film directed by Bappaditya Bandopadhyay
Bappaditya Bandopadhyay
Bappaditya Bandopadhyay or Bappaditya Banerjee is an Indian director and poet.He is the recipient of the Most Promising Director award for the year 2003, by the BFJA . His second feature film Silpantar was premiered at the Sofia International Film Festival, Bulgaria...
stars Chandrayee Ghosh
Chandrayee Ghosh
Chandrayee Ghosh is a Bengali Indian female model and Indian TV and film actress....
, Rudranil Ghosh
Rudranil Ghosh
Rudranil Ghosh is an Indian Bengali actor of TV and films.-Awards:* 2007: BFJA - Best Supporting Actor Award for both Kantatar and Refugee* 2011: Zee Bangla'r Gourab - Best Actor in a Negative Role for Byomkesh Bakshi-Filmography:...
, Dola Chakraborty, Sandhya Shetty.
It was selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...
, 2007, the Sao Paulo International Film Festival
São Paulo International Film Festival
The São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
2007 and the Stockholm International Film Festival
Stockholm International Film Festival
The Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year in the second half of November...
2007. Incidentally, this is the third successive year that Bandopadhyay's film is being screened at Sao Paulo International Film Festival
São Paulo International Film Festival
The São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
. The film was already successfully screened at the Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema
Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema
Osian's-Cinefan, the largest film-festival devoted to Asian and Arab cinema, is part of Osian's Film House Division. The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary in July 2008.-History:...
, 2007, where it was one of the Indian films competing in the festival.
Plot
The real drama unfolds when the young women, utterly lost in the city's glitter and glamor, become call-girls for the sake of survival. Slowly their dreams change, they now hunger for more money in the new environment. Four girls are abducted in various ways by the local middleman Ratan (Rudranil Ghosh
Rudranil Ghosh
Rudranil Ghosh is an Indian Bengali actor of TV and films.-Awards:* 2007: BFJA - Best Supporting Actor Award for both Kantatar and Refugee* 2011: Zee Bangla'r Gourab - Best Actor in a Negative Role for Byomkesh Bakshi-Filmography:...
). They are assembled at a remote place on the border of the village. The girls depart to Kolkata by different routes with various agents. On arriving, they are taken to the business headquarters and Ratan takes his payment from the boss of the racket, who is a woman. Ranidi (the boss, played by Sandhya Shetty) grooms the depressed and oppressed girls and gives them a complete make over in a short time.
The movie depicts the corruption associated with their entire business. The girls accept the fact that money is better than sunshine and sweeter than honey. They forget their miserable past. They get caught up in making more money and buying more fun. They understand that surviving in this treacherous world is not possible through love, honesty and humanity. Hence they let themselves drain away in the world of consuming and consumption. The girls are shown traveling to the top hotels in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. The middleman Ratan is shown trying to go to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The village police inspector and the other partners in the game(Indian Border Security Force) continue to operate.
The movie concludes on a negative note. It depicts the basic reality of how simple girls from villages all over India are being stolen, sold and used in the open market of sex and lust in metropolitan cities. The movie shows a never-ending oppression of women and decay of human values. Things become intriguing when a European girl, who has suffered the same fate at the hands of the traffickers, starts sharing their apartment.
Director’s note
"In a way, this film is a sequel to my earlier film KantatarKantatarKantatar is a Bengali movie released in 2006. Directed by Bappaditya Bandopadhyay, the movie featured Sreelekha Mitra, Sudip Mukherjee, Rudranil Ghosh...
(Barbed Wire). The partition, at one point of time, caused human displacement in a large scale in our country. The present trend of globalization has once again unleashed a massive displacement of human beings. The backdrop is also even more complex. It was therefore impossible to maintain a linear narration. Kaal is a multilayered film dealing with human displacement."
Cast
- Chandrayee GhoshChandrayee GhoshChandrayee Ghosh is a Bengali Indian female model and Indian TV and film actress....
... - Rudranil GhoshRudranil GhoshRudranil Ghosh is an Indian Bengali actor of TV and films.-Awards:* 2007: BFJA - Best Supporting Actor Award for both Kantatar and Refugee* 2011: Zee Bangla'r Gourab - Best Actor in a Negative Role for Byomkesh Bakshi-Filmography:...
....Ratan - Dola Chakraborty ...
- Sandhya Shetty...
- Sankar Debnath...
- Samapika Debnath...
- Rupsa Guha...
- Nemai Ghosh...
- Iqbal Sultan....
- Mishar Ray...
- Partha Sarathi Deb...
Crew
- Director: Bappaditya BandopadhyayBappaditya BandopadhyayBappaditya Bandopadhyay or Bappaditya Banerjee is an Indian director and poet.He is the recipient of the Most Promising Director award for the year 2003, by the BFJA . His second feature film Silpantar was premiered at the Sofia International Film Festival, Bulgaria...
- Producer: Bhaidani Films Abdulla Vaidani, Manik Vaidani
- Screenplay:
- Cinematography: Rana DasguptaRana DasguptaRana Dasgupta is a British-Indian novelist and essayist. He grew up in Cambridge, England and studied at Balliol College, Oxford, the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud in Aix-en-Provence, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison...
- Editors:
- Music: Abhijit Bose
- Art Director: Gautam Bose
- Public Relations:Debabrata Roychoudhury
- Assosiate Director:Manoj Michigan
- Costume Designer:Geetanjolly Jolly
Censorship
Bappaditya Bandopadhyay is in trouble with the regional Censor Board for some scenes in Kaal being ‘too graphic’. The scene is about the rape of an illegal migrant girl from BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
by personnel of the Border Security Force
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force is a border patrol agency of the Government of India. Established on December 1, 1965, it is one of the Central Armed Police Forces. Its primary role is to guard India's international borders during peacetime and also prevent transnational crime...
. The director says that his film is on human trafficking and is based on NGO reports. He is now waiting for the revision committee to see his film. "The problem is that any criticism against any authority is met with iron clamps. The basic principles of democracy are being violated and the right to self-expression is either denied completely, or censored conveniently," says Bappaditya.