A commendable first attempt by Sekhar Das. Following up on Aranyer Din Ratri and Aabar Aranye, Mahulbanir Sereng goes back to the jungle. The jungle, where the oldest surviving civilization of the land still exists.
With a good cast comprising of Rupa Ganguly, Shilajit, Sabyasachi Chakraborty and the others, the movie touches on various themes. Never quite gets there though. The tribal ancestral lands, the government's exploitation, the backward customs ...... even a remark at the end ... something to the effect "they are better than before" .... what BS???? They are where they were when the British left India. The middle class driven Indian civil services, the corrupt (and criminal) politicians, the biggest thieves in India -- the cops and the morally degraded businessmen, they all continue to suck the blood of the downtrodden. At the bottom of the ladder are the tribals -- worse even than the so-called 'untouchables'.
But, I guess if you want to release such a movie in West Bengal, India, one must acknowledge the "contribution" of decades long mis-management of the communist government. Sekhar Das gets a 2.5 stars for sucking up!!!
I really liked Rupa Ganguly's restrained acting. The short role for Sabyasachi was a sleep walk. Shilajit was adequate. Chandreyi Ghosh was so-so. In some scenes she seemed very convincing and in others too urban a tribal girl. Was it because she supposedly should have some 'urban' genes passed on from her ''civilized" father from the city?
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