Borno Porichoy Serial Killer Gets A New Life
Borno Porichoy(Bengali)
Starring Abir Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta
Directed by Mainak Bhaumik
Rating: ***(3 stars)
If it were not for the excruciatingly authentic Abir Chatterjee playing the compulsive killer , this film’s killer instincts would have gone for a toss. The problems in the narration here are symptomatic of the larger problems that plague Bangla cinema.
Borno Porichoy wants to be a big bright slick serial-killer thriller comparable with what Bollywood churns out when it sets its heart to it. Sadly the heart is missing in this vapid study of crime, death and mortality.The writing is woefully wound-up and unnecessarily tense.A lot of the writing is clearly kitschy and by the timeJisshu is chasing Abir on a mo-bike across Kolkata’s crowded streets, the promising film begins to resemble one of Sanjay Gadhvi’s Dhoom films without the sparkle.
The background music and songs leaning heavily on Rock sounds, is also for the most part inappropriate in bringing out the tragic elements in the killer’s life.Aabir Chatterjee as Arko, the killer with a tragic backstory , does a finely nuanced job of giving his character a bedrock of vague compassion. He plays the devious killer with a cool stealth defiantly moving away from the potboiler mood of the narration.
The film’s biggest problem is Jisshu Sengupta. Once a fine actor he is now reduced to a hammy version ofSanjeev Kumar. Not that his character is in any way blessed with subtlety. Jisshu’s Dhononjoy a burnt-out cop with serious family and alcohol issues . He embodies every cliché of the filmy cop’s life, down to the clever calculating mind which can pre-empt the killer’s move even when befogged with alcohol.
Regrettably while Dhononjoy maps the killer’s moves, the storytelling lacks commensurate killer moves, rapidly losing its sting as it stumbles shakily towards a climax that seems borrowed from the Shah Rukh Khan starrrerFan.
The film’s efficacy hinges on the two main protagonists’ cat-and-mouse moves. Both the lead actors seem working at cross purposes. The supporting cast is shadowy and sketchy with the cops on duty standing staringopenmouthed at Jisshu Sengupta as he sprouts genius revelations through an alcoholic haze. Were it not for AbirChatterjee’s thoughtful performance this serial-killer thriller would be as thrilling as a pickle without the spicy filling.
Bland is a word that comes to mind repeatedly while watching the selfconsciously stylish killer thriller.
