The Quest For A ‘Lost Idea’

Bhubaneswar: The successful screening of Amartya Bhattachryya’s feature film, ‘Khyanikaa-The Lost Idea’ in Bhubaneswar has proved that if passionately done, any idea can be executed on the big screen.

Deviating from the set formula of filmmaking requires both gut and gumption. With ‘Khyanikaa-The Lost Idea’ Bhattachryya has not only broken the conventional norms of story-telling but also shooting, since the whole film has been shot with a DSLR camera. The whole movie is episodic in nature and reveals the director’s bravado in connecting reality with an ‘abstract idea’ while showing it symbolically.

The story is set in fantasy land (yet it gives a fair glimpse of rural Odisha) and revolves around a painter, Susant Mishra, and a poet, Swastik Choudhury, both of whom stake their claim on ‘Idea’ personified as a free-spirited beautiful young woman. But then ideas don’t belong to anyone. So when they cannot settle the conflict, they approach ‘Fate’ to intervene. Fate is played by Hrushikesh Bhoi and portrayed as a big fat man. After hearing both sides of the story, Fate gives a judgement in favour of ‘Idea’ which is free to make its own choice, symbolising that it can neither be tamed nor possessed by one person.
Choudhury Bikash Das as the mad man, who strives to bring his dead son back to life by capturing the Sun, leaves a mark in the audience’s memory with his acting prowess. His body language and satirical dialogue delivery in different situations, where he is trying to paint in the air or is taking the old teacher to a dilapidated monument, clearly distinguishes him from the rest of the cast.

Anu Choudhury’s dramatic guest appearance adds some colour and gives the film a commercial angle. Bhaswati Basu as the nagging wife is quite convincing on the screen though her role does not exploit her acting potential. Dipanwint Dasohapatra looks quite real as the postman and does justice to his role.

As most part of the dialogues is in English tagging it as an Odia film leaves a question mark. In fact Anu Choudhury’s dialogues are only in English which one feels is unwarranted.

Although one lauds the director for using a DSLR camera, the static shots are a little boring and look repetitive. The lengthy scenes could have been shortened for better effect.

The atypical subject of the film apart, it rides on Bhattachryya’s unchallenged reputation as a filmmaker and his brilliant cinematography which is evident in the opening scene itself.
The film had been screened at the IFFI Goa Festival last year and has made a mark in 12 prestigious international film festivals in eight countries.