A friendship between Bengali and fish is as traditional as history. For this love for fish, the Bengalis scattered in different parts of the world have to listen to many negative and positive words. The fish can also be called a kind of trademark of Bengalis. Just imagine, a movie titled the favourite dish of Bengali named ‘Macher Jhol’ (Fish Curry) may not have even occurred to many before this film was made. In this age of thunderous masala movies or thrillers full of mysteries and thrills, such a simple, smooth, beautiful story brings peace to the eyes, just like a spoonful of fish curry served on hot steamed rice.
Perhaps, there is no food-centric movie for food-loving Bengalis. Of course, the chemistry of the ever-neglected kitchen has struggled to establish itself and still does. So the movie about that emotion is appreciated. Does chef Pratim D Gupta just put the ‘Macher Jhol’ recipe in his cooked dishes, or is there another story? The name of the movie is the first thing that strikes me.
The story begins in the kitchen of a restaurant in far-away Paris. A chef’s self-absorbed attempt to create a signature that would match the cook and the consumer finds such a heartwarming environment in the opening scene. He migrated to France to find out whether it is possible to feel the pulse of home-cooked food in a commercial environment, whether it is possible to taste the satisfaction of a traditional home, or whether it tastes good in a foreign country. It is the story of an engineer becoming a famous chef after going through many ups and downs. This is the story of an indomitable, disobedient but rebellious boy who is both a failed husband and a failed father. Just as a fish pepper does not make a fish curry, it requires talent, skill, moderation and patience; like that, ‘Macher Jhol’ is not just a recipe-centric story; it comes with some emotion, some truth, some success and the rest is reality. In all, the fish soup has become quite spicy and delicious.
Dev Dutt, alias Debu is a world-renowned international chef in this movie. I was talking about him above. His face value is no less than that of a star in the welfare of television. The owners of three restaurants went out of the country intoxicated with cooking. But after thirteen years, he could not stay away from his mother’s illness. He returned to his mother’s lap. During one of his mother’s illnesses, he cooked and fed fish curry to his mother with his clumsy hands. The mother of a famous chef suffering from a brain tumour wants to eat that very fish curry again.
The distance from his father, the bonding with his French lover, the strange feeling with the chef Matangini (Maggie) at the hotel where he is staying, the innocent face of the unmarried ex-wife lying in front of him and everything in his past are running in parallel. At the same time, the craving of his mother for fish curry is going on. Will Dev D fail then?
The Bengali brand ambassador ‘Amalkanti’ could not get out of the shackles of his childhood, where the Bengali can live like himself by dreaming of risk and can fly with wings in the air. His mother showed dev Dutt that courage. In the intoxication of knowing the unknown, he floated in uncertainty. He didn’t want to pick up another passenger in his lifeless boat. He left his wife behind. But unbeknownst to him, he left his wife’s abode for another life, of which he had no idea. So, when he returned after thirteen years, he questioned how much right he had to establish his right over that little soul. Even going to the last line, the whole decision is left to the viewer. Will you be able to anchor in the current of this upliftment of harassment?
The jewel in the picture is Ritwik Chakraborty. He pulled the whole movie alone. He is so absorbed in the character of Dev Dutt that it doesn’t seem like he is acting. And the audience also enjoyed his performance. In the role of mother, Mamata Shankar and Paulie Dum as ex-wife have adapted quite well. Sourseni Maitra was also part of Chef Matangini. The rest also have equality in acting.
Pratim D Gupta identified his caste with ‘Panch Addhyay’ and ‘Saheb-Bibi-Golam.’ He proved with fish broth that he is not falling easily. And Anupam Roy has completely immersed himself in music that the audience will murmur for a long time.
This story is a story of renewed. The story of leaving the old. The story of breaking out of the shackles of tradition and finding new hope in the harbour of modernity. The story of learning to embrace the potential. The story of holding the dream on all fours. This is also the story of his return.
So, can we tell that ‘Macher Jhol’ is out of bone? I am not saying that there are no bones. If you want to indulge in the tide of that taste, then go to the recipe section of this magazine. Both this delicious cooking and this delicious story will leave an impression on your mind and heart for a long time.
