A film with finely crafted performances often tells a great story. Bow Barracks Forever completely belongs to this category. The film will most probably be remembered for its perfect performances by Lillete Dubey and Victor Banerjee, besides the depicted subtle charms of life at Bow Barracks.
Directed by Anjan Dutt, the film is based in a middle class Anglo-Indian locality Bow Barracks, in the heart of North Kolkata. Bow Barracks as the name suggests has a historical army connection. Something good enough to give the building a heritage status. But not for the well connected local land mafia, who have set their eyes on the property and want to pull it down, to give way for modern structures. Their ploy being that the building is unsafe and can fall any time.
To compound things the inhabitants have failing finances and an unclear title to the property. Add to that the burning desire and faint hope of making it to family and relatives in foreign lands. While many of them may not love their habitation, yet this is their only roof and hence they organize with others to fight the mafia. Even there is Usha Uthup playing herself, who agrees to do a fund raiser with the local band to collect money for repairing the building to safety. They also receive help from a Good Samaritan engineer from outside Bow Barracks, but he gets killed, shattering the fledgling courage in the community.
In this grind for saving their roofs the daily plot of life with its vices goes on. There is Lillete Dubey essaying the role of Aunty Lobo, the middle aged but adorably sweet mother of two grown-up boys. The elder one, who never appears in any frame, has some how managed to catch the proverbial boat to England. The mother has great hopes from this son to bail them out and send for them. She has set a targeted departure of approaching Christmas. Her younger son Bradley (Clayton Rodgers) is a musician at heart and continuously gets thrown out of jobs. He is not much help to his mother, who somehow makes the two ends meet by baking cakes and brewing wine, which are famous in a small way. On top of it he has this dangerous liaison with Anne, the young married girl (played by Neha Dubey) next door, whose wife-beating husband is on the wrong side of law. Aunty Lobo has an addictive and in vain routine of calling her elder son, only to end in unanswered pleas for response on a voice mail.
Lillete effortlessly shifts through her different roles, clearly carrying the entire film. She even has an admirer in a failed musician and now nicknamed ‘Peter the Cheater’ (Victor Banerjee), who has a long hidden soft corner for her. Peter tries to express his feelings but instead appears to be making a pass and rightfully gets a snub from Mrs. Lobo. He has clearly fallen on bad times and survives by passing cheap trinkets for antiques and hence the sobriquet. He is a survivor and it a treat to see him in the act. Only occasionally now does he break into a brilliant jig and a melodious trumpeting session, although playing trumpet is also his way of sorrowing. True to his cheater instincts he has the capability of threatening the mafia side-kicks into a run out of Bow Barracks, using a toy gun.
Moon Moon Sen plays Rosa, a love starved wife of a teacher totally in despair with the life at Bow Barracks. She is seen all the while coaxing her husband to sell the place and move out. She also has a torrid relationship with an Insurance agent and hopes and cajoles him to free her from drudgery of her monotonous life. She even makes a middle age elopement act with her paramour only to return later. Aunty Rosa returns back to appreciate her life at Bow Barracks and a loving husband.
The climax has it highs and lows, anxieties and celebrations, as Bradley finds his true love and gets married. A marriage at Bow Barracks is a true celebration where every one joins in.
The film’s music keeps up with the brilliance of the film and adds to the passionate performance by Victor Banerjee, especially the act where he breaks into a trumpeting and dancing session. Anjan Dutt’s direction is taut and helps the narrative flow seamlessly. The film is out on VCD and is truly a collector’s item.
Directed by Anjan Dutt, the film is based in a middle class Anglo-Indian locality Bow Barracks, in the heart of North Kolkata. Bow Barracks as the name suggests has a historical army connection. Something good enough to give the building a heritage status. But not for the well connected local land mafia, who have set their eyes on the property and want to pull it down, to give way for modern structures. Their ploy being that the building is unsafe and can fall any time.
To compound things the inhabitants have failing finances and an unclear title to the property. Add to that the burning desire and faint hope of making it to family and relatives in foreign lands. While many of them may not love their habitation, yet this is their only roof and hence they organize with others to fight the mafia. Even there is Usha Uthup playing herself, who agrees to do a fund raiser with the local band to collect money for repairing the building to safety. They also receive help from a Good Samaritan engineer from outside Bow Barracks, but he gets killed, shattering the fledgling courage in the community.
In this grind for saving their roofs the daily plot of life with its vices goes on. There is Lillete Dubey essaying the role of Aunty Lobo, the middle aged but adorably sweet mother of two grown-up boys. The elder one, who never appears in any frame, has some how managed to catch the proverbial boat to England. The mother has great hopes from this son to bail them out and send for them. She has set a targeted departure of approaching Christmas. Her younger son Bradley (Clayton Rodgers) is a musician at heart and continuously gets thrown out of jobs. He is not much help to his mother, who somehow makes the two ends meet by baking cakes and brewing wine, which are famous in a small way. On top of it he has this dangerous liaison with Anne, the young married girl (played by Neha Dubey) next door, whose wife-beating husband is on the wrong side of law. Aunty Lobo has an addictive and in vain routine of calling her elder son, only to end in unanswered pleas for response on a voice mail.
Lillete effortlessly shifts through her different roles, clearly carrying the entire film. She even has an admirer in a failed musician and now nicknamed ‘Peter the Cheater’ (Victor Banerjee), who has a long hidden soft corner for her. Peter tries to express his feelings but instead appears to be making a pass and rightfully gets a snub from Mrs. Lobo. He has clearly fallen on bad times and survives by passing cheap trinkets for antiques and hence the sobriquet. He is a survivor and it a treat to see him in the act. Only occasionally now does he break into a brilliant jig and a melodious trumpeting session, although playing trumpet is also his way of sorrowing. True to his cheater instincts he has the capability of threatening the mafia side-kicks into a run out of Bow Barracks, using a toy gun.
Moon Moon Sen plays Rosa, a love starved wife of a teacher totally in despair with the life at Bow Barracks. She is seen all the while coaxing her husband to sell the place and move out. She also has a torrid relationship with an Insurance agent and hopes and cajoles him to free her from drudgery of her monotonous life. She even makes a middle age elopement act with her paramour only to return later. Aunty Rosa returns back to appreciate her life at Bow Barracks and a loving husband.
The climax has it highs and lows, anxieties and celebrations, as Bradley finds his true love and gets married. A marriage at Bow Barracks is a true celebration where every one joins in.
The film’s music keeps up with the brilliance of the film and adds to the passionate performance by Victor Banerjee, especially the act where he breaks into a trumpeting and dancing session. Anjan Dutt’s direction is taut and helps the narrative flow seamlessly. The film is out on VCD and is truly a collector’s item.
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