Praktan

Praktan (former) is about Ujaan Mukherjee (Prosenjit) and Sudipa (Rituparna), who have moved on in life after a marriage that did not work. During a train journey, Sudipa finds herself in a spot as she realizes that Malini and Putul are none other than Ujaan’s present wife and daughter. Upset over the same, she clearly demonstrates that she has not completely forgiven Ujaan for whatever happened between them and seems to carry the burden of their memories. The common love for heritage and culture had seen the conservation architect from Mumbai, Sudipa, fall in love with Ujaan, a tour guide and an explorer, as he liked to call himself. But, of course, life after marriage turned out to be unlike what they had expected leading to their eventual separation. Over the course of the 30 odd hours of the train journey, we come across not just a way of knowing how all these passengers spend their time, but also get an insight into the failed marriage of Ujaan and Sudipa. Ujaan joins them at Nagpur after driving down by road to catch the train. He is surprised to find Sudipa in the same coupe as his family. A non-linear approach in a subtle manner is used to shift the focus on and off from the train journey to the relationship between the two individuals, who started off being madly in love, only to see their marriage crumbling in front of their own eyes. They ensure that the focus is more or less only on these two individuals when their past is shown, there is a mention of Ujaan’s close friend and Sudipa’s parents, but they are never really shown. Even the rest of the family members of Ujaan are barely showcased in an attempt to take us through their relationship curve. Over the course of their story, we also get to understand how and what went wrong in case of their marriage. Beginning with a sense of apprehension and even disgust in a way, it’s wonderful to see Sudipa gradually opening up to Malini and acknowledging how wrong she was in her assumption about her. There are many wonderful moments in the film, like the one where an old lady, played by Sabitri Chatterjee, complains to the railway attendant about the AC and other aspects in Bangla-mixed Hindi as her husband, played by Soumitra Chatterjee, humorously points out later. Also, the way Ujaan and Sudipa manage to just about have a soulful discussion about their past and the interaction between Malini and Sudipa right at the end. Apart from Ujaan, Sudipa, Malini, an old couple, also travelling are a group of musicians — Upal Sengupta, Anindya Chatterjee, Anupam Roy and Surojit Chatterjee — and newlyweds, played by Biswanath Basu and Manali Manisha Dey. All of them come together for a beautiful “Antakshari” sequence in the film. But then, this is essentially the story of Ujaan and Sudipa and their failed relationship. It’s wonderful to see how well-etched Malini’s character is and she is the one who, in a way, helps bring closure in the lives of both Ujaan and Sudipa.

• Prosenjit Chatterjee as Ujaan Mukherjee
• Rituparna Sengupta as Sudipa Sen
• Aparajita Adhya as Malini / Molly Mukherjee
• Biswanath Basu as Ajay
• Manali Dey as Ajay’s wife
• Soumitra Chatterjee as a train passenger
• Aronnok as a train passenger
• Sabitri Chatterjee as a train passenger
• Oronnonil as a train passenger
• Anupam Roy as himself
• Anindya Chatterjee as himself
• Sneha Das as herself
• Upal Sengupta as himself
• Surojit Chatterjee as himself
• Sudipa Chatterjee as Sumi
• Saswata Chattopadhyay as Sudipa’s husband (guest appearance)
• Aveepsa Basak as Udita Mukherjee aka Putul, Molly and Ujaan’s daughter

• Produced by Probhat Roy and Windows
• Presented by Atanu Raychaudhuri
• Directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee
• Screenplay by Nandita Roy
• Dialogues by Shiboprosad Mukherjee
• Director of Photography: Gopi Bhagat
• Editor: Malay Laha
• Music: Anindya Chatterjee and Anupam Roy
• Art Director: Amit Chatterjee
• Sound Design: Dipankar Chaki
• Costume Design: Ruma Sengupta
• Background Score: Vinit Ranjan Maitra