Ajogyo Movie Review : The Prosenjit-Rituparna pair lacks spark in this dramatic saga

Kaushik Ganguly’s Ajogyo, which is the 50th film for the Prosenjit Chatterjee-Rituparna Sengupta duo, begins with Raktim (Silajit) losing his job and getting drunk with a stranger at a pub. The next day, he realises that he had lost his phone, and this is when the stranger comes to return his phone and introduces himself as Prasen (Prosenjit Chatterjee). He meets Raktim’s wife Parna (Rituparna Sengupta) and their daughter Chiki. He learns that Raktim has lost his job and is insecure about the fact that his wife has to work to run the family. As Raktim begs him for help, Prasen generously offers it. However, this may come at a cost, which forms the rest of the plot.

The premise of the film looks promising at the outset, but the dialogues and script moves along at a sluggish pace, just hinting at the past without a grand reveal. Dialogue after dialogue builds the intrigue, but the second half fails to build up any pace despite a change of settings that feels more like an opportunity to showcase tourism rather than plot continuation.

The character of the protagonist, Prasen, is built slowly throughout the course of the film, mostly focusing on his family and what had happened more than two decades ago, but not providing much beyond that about his life. Otherwise, most other characters are not developed beyond their interaction with the lead pair. Among them, Silajit as Raktim is perfectly natural in his anxiety over his personal state and middle-class moralities. However, despite the romantic settings, a lack of chemistry between the lead pair fails to convince the audience. Rituparna is far more fluent as the worried mother and wife, putting in the right touch of emotions. On the other hand, Lily Chakrabarty as Prasen’s mother is a thoughtful addition (one may remember her epic role as Prosenjit’s grandmother in Mayer Adhikar), and in a small role, Ambarish Bhattacharya plays a solo, helpful traveller with aplomb.

Cinematography by Gopi Bhagat is nice, although the editing could have been sharper. The music by Indraadip Dasgupta, Anupam Roy and Ranajoy Bhattacharjee is mellifluous, with Ajogyo Ami (Anupam Roy) and Keu Janbe Na (Arijit Singh) being standouts. However, despite the music and the beautiful settings, the romance falls short of emotional depth, and that is why Ajogyo is at best a one-time watch.