36 CHOWRINGEE LANE

seems its calcutta time for me now! saw this movie directed by aparna sen last nite. the city in the early 1980s is captured vividly in this beautiful film, almost the same as in 'city of joy' - the rickshaw pullers, slums, trams & poluting traffic, the howrah, bazars & poverty in general.

the story's abo' an old anglo indian english teacher ms. violet stoneham. there's her elder bro in an old ppl's home (somewhat surprising that the city had those homes in the 80s itself). she meets her old student nandhita, nan-deee-ta in her accent, who's having a jolly good time with her lover. the couple manipulates ms.stoneham's innocence and start romancing in her pigeon hole flat thru deception & flattery. they get married and ignore her, she coming 2 know o' it only in the last scene. her teacher life, her visits to her bro', her cat named Sir Toby, her reciting Shakespeare's 'twelfth nite', her temporary happiness with the young couple all make up the rest of the film.

think the whole film is abo' how out o' context things become as time passes, here anglo indians in an independent india. a slooooooooooow dull film but a nice c.

btw, konkana sen who got good reviews for mr & mrs iyer is aparna's daughter. we have 2 c whether daughter follows in her illustrious mom's footsteps.

(July 2, 2003)