Chased by Dreams

Buddhadeb Dasgupta, a poet and writer of many books, establishes in his films a certain uplifting mood in which he subtly unveils the political and social context of the story while keeping the suspense until the very end. Swapner din’s main hero, Paresh, makes a living by traveling with a 16mm projector to the remote areas of Bengal. He screens educational government films about health, sex and family planning. Although he believes that his work fulfills a public good, he is not very content with his life. The same goes for his driver Chapal, who plans, as many other Indians do, to move to the Gulf region to earn more money and live more decently. The innocent and ordinary talks of this working duo are interrupted by the sudden theft of the movie projector. Where should they go? How can they regain their previous economic security? Will they ever stop drowning in problems? They are sent from Pontius to Pilate and are misused by every single villager they meet – there seems no end to their Kafkaesque position. Only after meeting with the young, pure and beautiful pregnant Muslim widow Ameena do their life views totally change. The wonderful camera work of Venu breathes synchronically with every subtle change in the story. As in Uttara, the music director Vishuadeb Dasgupta underlines the emotional states of the characters as well as the threatening feeling connected with the film’s political context. (RS)