Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 1970’s, ‘Hoawa Bondook’ is a tale of love and longing.
A superannuated gentleman residing in the countryside is suddenly drawn into the world of theatre. The local group wants him in a Bengali version of a Pirandello play and he becomes involved with one of the players, a young girl in her twenties who, like him, is new to theatre. Against the backdrop of the pandemic and the imminent war in Ukraine, this story of a highly unlikely relationship unfolds even as a strictly conservative society looks on with baited breath. As the pandemic necessitates a hiatus in the rehearsals and the emptiness of his house engulfs him, the lonely gentleman gets sucked into a world of fantasy; his expectations build up and he becomes acutely sensitive to his milieu.
A tribute to auteur Mrinal Sen, the film intricately weaves the personal and professional journeys of Kunal Sen and Ranjan through their collaboration on an ambitious film project, Chaalchitra, in 1981.
Take a trip back to the 90's in Kolkata when moments spent even during a load shedding were priceless.