Starring: Rahul Bose, Raima Sen, Chigusa Takaku, Moushumi Chatterjee
Written & Directed by Aparna Sen
Rating: **
The final lap in this lyrical but contrived tale of unfufilled love shows two women coming together after the tragic
death of the man they both loved. One, the Japanese wife of the title, the other a silent widow of meagre means.
By then it's too late. "The Japanese Wife" has lost its claims to its director's fame.
This story of a long-distance 'marriage' between a Bengali bhadra-lok from rural Bengal Snehmoy (Rahul Bose) and
his Japanese pen-pal Miyage (Chigusa Takaku) suffers from an incurable disease known as Inherent Silliness.
Based on a true story by Kunal Basu, this is the ultimate non-romance between two people who thoroughly deserve
each other.
They're both so annoying and outdated in their naivete, you see! The couple married to each other for over 15 years
never meets and barely speaks to each other on the phone a few times (talk about phoney relationships, this one
takes the cake).
When Miyage falls ill in Japan Snehmoy goes to the doctor in Kolkata with her medical
reports. The doc's expression when he hears why the patient can't come personally to be examined is exactly the
way we feel about this long-distance marriage.
Aparna Sen, in what is arguably her most disastrous film to date, intersperses the over-sweet ridiculously idealistic
relationship with quaint post-picture images from Snehmoy's rural home life with his aunt (Moushumi) and widow
(Raima Sen) who moves into the schoolteacher-hero's home with her son.
Snatches of changing times
such as Bipasha sizzling to "Beedi jalayle" on television remind us of how outrageously old-fashioned the basic
storyline is.
While Rahul's Japanese connection makes you want to run and cover your face in a kimono,
the actor's rapport with the widow's son (Rudranil Ghosh) conveys a natural warmth and grace.
Aparna Sen has always shown a keen eye for visual detail.
The scenes from Snehmoy's home life, the
architectural details, the scenic landscape, incidental characters encountered in the toasted-brown lanes, and the
boats riding the swelling rivers are done with heartwarming tenderness.
Full credit to cinematographer
Anay Goswami for using the screen space to create picture-post card scenes of rural Bengal echoing images from
Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali".
The art-direction, sound and most specially the composition of the frames once again shows Aparna Sen's glorious
mastery over visual detailing and her skill as a celluloid storyteller so evident in her earlier works.
This time Aparna Sen is let down by the basic implausibility of the material. What could have been a poignant and
haunting tale of love, understanding and marriage between two people from different cultures and countries ends up
being just a misconstructed series of verbal exchanges on the soundtrack between Rahul Bose and the Japanese
actress whose individual accents are as grating on our nerves as any put-on accent we've ever heard in cinema.
Bose, who has repeatedly proved himself a skilled actor, is unable to take his character to a level beyond the
irritating. What is supposed to be moving and emotional often turns out to be unintentionally laughable.
Watch Rahul masturbating frantically in a boat after he promises his chitti-biwi from Japan to remain
sexually faithful to her. This is Rahul's second masturbation scene on screen after Dev Benegal's "English August".
The first time his character was bored. This time he's just desperate. So are we.
To keep a straight face while the characters talk to each other in thick accents about love and togetherness without
ever meeting (or mating). This is stretching the imagination. Sorry, it just doesn't work.
As for the long kite-flying sequence it puts you off kites forever. Sorry, Hrithik and Barbara.
Rahul Bose's vast abilities to get into character here fight a losing battle. His performance never goes beyond the
accent. Raima Sen is as usual, lovely and in-character. Wonder why she continues to be sidelined!
And
it's a pleasure to watch Moushumi Chatterjee return as Rahul's goodhearted but scheming aunt. But as Rishi
Kapoor always says about his performances in failed films, 'Faiyda kya hai?' (What's the use)
If you are a fan of Aparna Sen's work (as I am) you would be deeply disappointed by her descent into this self-
important but frustrating film about a couple which deserves each other for all the wrong reasons. Arjun Sablok did
long-distance love much better with Hrithik Roshan and Esha Deol in "Na Tum Janon Na Hum".
Saturday, April 10, 2010 12:40 IST