Defying the conventional formula of filmmaking, director Amartya Bhattacharya explores the problems of contemporary lives with satirical undertones in his Odia film, Khayanikaa The Lost Idea. His portrayal of the plot resembles the fashion in which a modern author presents his ideas in a stream of consciousness novel. You will not find any common event or incident that connects the apparently detached episodes in the film. But, that’s the superficial way of looking at it. Though episodic in nature, the characters have one thing in common: they are all in quest of something or the other in their lives.
It is difficult to specify any lead character or protagonist in the film. Each one has a different story and thus, each one is important. Though they are in search of different ideas, they cross each other’s path and engage in conversations that put forth powerful dialogues that are primarily reflections on life. The film opens with a woman screaming due to her labour pain in a field. As a filmmaker, Amartya’s excellence is established in the opening scene itself. There’s no other character in the scene or a prop except for a young woman and he still manages to symbolically represent how the woman goes into labour with his brilliant cinematographic skills. When the woman gives birth to a child, the narrator conveys the basic theme of the film as he utters, “The child could be an idea.” Be it for a poet or a mad man, it is their set of ideas or their search for the same that propels their lives.
A major portion of the film deals with the conflict between a poet and a painter, claiming possession over the same idea. The filmmaker seems to question the concept of copyright in a creative field through this fantasy driven tale of the two in a village portrayed as a wonderland. Creative ideas can never be owned by an individual. They don’t belong to anyone and are free-flowing. In the film, idea is personified as a beautiful young lady, carefree and untamable. Unable to resolve their conflict, the two men approach ‘fate’, personified as a big fat man to judge their claims over the idea. Finally, they bury their fate to realise that it is their consciousness that is the ultimate deciding factor. They settle the matter in peace as idea gets impressed by a kid and decides to venture into his creative world. While the two men represent the real world with its obsessions, rigid notions and prejudices; the kid is an embodiment of the alternate world of fantasy that has been epitomized. Amartya’s film is a reminder of the fact that how conflicts in the materialized world lead to the loss of creative ideas, which could have generated a great piece of art.
The film also portrays the lives of some other characters, like the mad man who strives hard to capture the sun to bring his dead son back to life; a teacher who visits the ruins of an old monument in a forest regularly, thinking it to be a classroom filled with students; a man who spends most of his time reading newspapers and tries to look for his idea and a postman who tricks the poet by letting him believe that he is successful overseas. The mad man is a connector as he interacts with all these men. Infact, he is like a Shakespearean jester, who is considered a fool by others, but delivers powerful dialogues or observations on life.
The most interesting thing about the film is that it has been shot using a DSLR camera only and hasn’t been edited in a studio. But, you don’t get to realise this when you watch it on the big screen. Amartya’s cinematography will impress audience, who get a glimpse of rural Odisha in the film. Be it the presentation of a country-made boat making its way through the waters of Mahanadi or the dance sequences of Idea, the audience get a feel of multi-camera effect on the screen. The film’s seriousness is occasionally mellowed down by the use of music. A blend of classical and folk tunes, tracks by Kisaloy Roy offer the much-needed musical relief to viewers.
The movie has been dominated by the use of satires. The dialogues often compel you to think about the real life and its problems. When the narrator says, ‘in my village, education has got no connection with development,” there's a hint of satire.
Produced by Swastik Choudhury under the banner of Swastik Arthouse, the film features Amrita, Susant Misra, Choudhury Bikash Das, Hrushikesh Bhoi and Swastik Choudhury. Actress Anu Choudhury has been roped in for a special performance as a modern girl, which appeared a little overdramatic for the rural setting and trivialized the film’s loftiness to a certain extent.
It’s actor Choudhury Bikash Das whose performance as a mad man is something to be admired. From superb voice modulations to closer-to-life expressions, he amazes the audience with his acting skills. He is the only actor, who has been able to connect with the audience throughout the film.
'Khayanikaa-The Lost Idea' was released at INOX, Bhubaneswar on last Sunday.