Ebar Shabor Movie Review

Ebar Shabor is the kind of film that leaves a lingering aftertaste — the kind that makes you crave for a repeat watch. And that, when you already know who the murderer is! What better benchmark can a film set?

Kolkata police detective Shabor Dasgupta (Saswata) sets out to solve the murder case of Mitali Ghosh (Swastika), a woman with a messy past. Her ex-husband Mithu Mitra (Abir), ex-flame Pantu Haldar (Ritwick) and friend Samiran (Rahul) are the prime suspects and so is her cousin Joyeeta (Paayel). His investigation reveals a complex web of relationships gone sour that gives almost everyone a good motive.

Ebar Shabor is the kind of film that leaves a lingering aftertaste — the kind that makes you crave for a repeat watch. And that, when you already know who the murderer is! What better benchmark can a film set?

The reason behind this is, of course, the fact that the film is as much a murder mystery as it is a close look at the inner working of relationships, especially the romantic kind. Every character, every individual track is sure to find resonance among the audience and in that lies the film’s true beauty. Add to that an extremely balanced mix of mystery, emotions and comedy and you get a film that makes you identify with every situation, every twist and even feel the emotions that lead to the murder. In short, you feel just what detective Shabor Dasgupta does, as he navigates the trail of soured relationships and scorned hearts left behind by Mitali (Swastika) and her father Barun Ghosh (Deepankar De).

In Shabor’s eyes, everyone — be it Mitali’s ex-husband Mithu, her teenage flame Pantu, her childhood friend and secret admirer Samiran or her lovelorn cousin Joyeeta — is a suspect. And, somehow, such is the smoothness of the narrative that at no point would one want to take pride in guessing who Mitali’s killer is. The tendency is to let Shabor do the dirty work and just sit back and enjoy his simple, yet precise methods. Saswata certainly scores an A-plus as the stoic detective — be it for his subtle display of emotions when strong feelings flow, his confident strides and perfect body language, or for the fantastic chemistry he shares with his assistant, Nandalal (Subhrajit). His comic timing, too, is unwavering, as he taunts Nandalal about his weak general knowledge and English. Even Subhrajit scores as the inexperienced assistant, who has a hard time speaking his share of English, given his education at ‘Jagabondhu School’.

As for the other members of the cast, Abir is fantastic as the calm, good-hearted Mithu and looks perfect as the low-profile bank employee. Moreover, his chemistry with Paayel stands good till the very last scene. Paayel, too, plays the role of a young and emotional girl perfectly, displaying her inner turmoil and feelings to just the right degree. In fact, director Arindam Sil deserves credit for keeping the emotions so real in the entire film. At no point does any character get melodramatic or loud, and everyone is just as real as they can be. Ritwick, especially, is fantastic as the neighbourhood boy who had a six-month ‘marriage’ with Mitali after the two eloped from college. His carefree mannerism, his fluid street-smart eloquence and his who-gives-a-damn-if-Mitali’s-dead attitude infuses life into Pantu’s character and defines the limping, bidi-smoking neighbourhood mechanic. Samiran (Rahul), on the other hand, provides comic relief every now and then, albeit subtly. There’s no melodrama or overacting involved. And he scores high even when he jerks the earpiece away when his father shouts at him over phone, fumbles while talking about the two women in his life or reveals his fear of ghosts. As for the two women in Samiran’s life, Khonika (Debolina) is good as his divorcee girlfriend, who gives Shabor a vital lead, and Julekha Sharma (June) is great as a woman who remains an enigma for a better part of the film. June, especially, plays the two sides to her character perfectly. Even Deepankar De is convincing as the rich old-school widower. But how can we not mention Swastika, who infuses life into the role of a repentant rebel. She, too, keeps her emotions low-key, but in that, she scores high. As for the music, Bickram Ghosh has done a commendable job, complementing, as he did, the exciting tempo of the film. Except one or two rare occasions, the background score blended in perfectly with the narrative.

But ultimately, Ebar Shabor is the director’s baby — right from the animated opening credits, the spot-on camera work by DoP Shirsha Ray, the unnervingly real chase sequences, the subtle interplay of sadness and humour to the rush of emotions in the last 10 minutes. It’s a film that’s as real as life itself.

Watch it, watch it again. You’ll love it every time.