
by Smita Bannerjee – Follow @browngirlmag
Have you ever seen a film with a smile on your face? You know, you’re just sitting there in the dark with a goofy grin. That was me in the first hour of “Bengali Beauty.” And then this magical love story smashed my heart to smithereens.
In today’s climate of Bengali Cinema, “Bengali Beauty” is a miracle of a movie. It’s the type of movie that Bengali cinema-goers have been waiting for for a long long time.
You walk away immersed in the storytelling, the music, the colors, and the incredible artistry of the actors. But you also walk away with a profound ache. I was smiley and sad. And I just wanted to see it again.
Mumtaheena Toya portrays the titular role in this enticing film. A more seasoned actor may have been able to dig into the many layers of this character better than what Toya is able to, but, her chemistry with Noor is very consistent and apparent on screen. Her performance is buoyed by the standout showings of Noor, Sarah Alam, and Ashfique Rizwan.
The music by Rusho Mahtab is integral to making the narrative soar. The film opens with a powerful speech by former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and dissolves into a catalogue of nostalgic photographs from the 1970s. The accompanying background score haunts of a simpler life, a simpler innocent love that can only be found in the annals of history.
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“Bengali Beauty” sweeps you away on waves of humor, heartbreak, and ravishing romance. It’s sheer perfection feels both old and new. It’s the most enchanting Bengali movie of recent times and must not be missed. It’s the movie of the year.
Smita Bannerjee an Indian-American whom moved to suburban Virginia from Kolkata with her parents at the age of two. She graduated with an honors in Finance from Georgetown University and currently works for a tech incubator in Silicon Valley. Though in the corporate world, Smita has always managed to stay connected to filmmaking and writing with work experience at an independent production house in Los Angeles. She loves to travel and experience new cultures, yet, she will never lose her love for all things Bollywood.