Ebar Shabor (Dir.: Arindam Sil; Cast: Saswata Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee, Dipankar De, Abir Chatterjee, Ritwick Chakraborty et al.)
Ebar Shabor is a sleek film. It is a murder mystery with its fair share of chases, skeletons in the cupboard and shady characters with more facets to them than initially visible. Saswata Chatterjee and Ritwick Chakraborty, perhaps the two best and in-form actors in Bengali cinema at present, deliver two very good performances and are ably supported by the rest of the cast, notably June Malia. The protagonist sleuth, Shabor, is part of the official force, in contrast with the more popular freelancing detectives in Bengali cinema (and literature). This takes way some drama perhaps but enhances the authenticity. There are too many characters in the plot for each to be fully developed in the limited time available, which is a pity as the characters are colourful but we get no more than glimpses into some of them. The sequences of Shabor ruminating in the company of his colleague are some of the best shot, along with the dramatic chases.
To conclude: an entertaining movie, with some accomplished performances.
