Our childhood hero (Shriman Prithviraj)

If I remember correctly, it was in standard seven. One day, we all came to school with a big smile on our face. The first thing that we friends asked each other on entering the classroom after the assembly prayers were over was whether we saw Shriman Prithviraj the previous night on national television. The reply was unanimous. Yes, said all. And then it started. The dissection and bisection of every scene. The constant repetition of the funny one-liners. The feelings for the pre-pubescent Rashik were enumerated. The joys at the union of Rashik and Amalabala was pronounced. In short, an entire classroom of 58 odd students chirped and bonded over this 1973 Tarun Majumdar masterpiece. Such is the fan following of this cult classic that even today when we school friends meet over a cuppa, we relive that day in class seven when this film was the topic of discussion for an entire week.

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The truth of life (Asli Naqli)

There is seldom anything wrong with the films made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Even when he was yet to dabble with wholesome comedy, he was making films that were sweet, simple and sensitive. His characters were immensely likable, his narrative was crease-free and his stories were absolutely enthralling. It is hard not to enjoy films such as Anupama. And, the same can be said about the beautiful film called Asli Naqli, a joyful enterprise about life and love...

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A good looking adventure (Jhinder Bondi)

I believed that Bengali filmmakers cannot make adventurous flicks. I thought that they tread safe paths. I knew that Bengali film was sweet, soft and sensitive, devoid of the drama and intrigue mostly seen in Hindi and English films. I was more used to the actors wearing the simple shirt and trousers, or maybe a dhoti kurta. The women hardly had much of a choice barring the gorgeous sari. If the director was really ambitious he made the girl wear a salwar kurta, considered to be a bold fashion statement. Even when kings and queens were being dealt with they were not as gallant or swashbuckling.

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