"Phoring": A Bengali story about growing up

(am) „Phoring“ is the first Bengali film screened in the 11th Indian Film Festival, Stuttgart its fourth day. Directed by Indranil Roychowdhury, this film talks upon the confused state of Ananda in his adolescence. To differentiate from other films, „Phoring“ has a very relaxed motion of storytelling which evokes a sense of analysing and framing the incidents that were happening in the life of Ananda. Phoring is the nick name of Ananda.

Though Ananda’s detainment could not be justified by the intelligence and eye-cue level that he had. His interest in watching TV channels like Discovery, National Geographic did not help him score good in his exams. Ananda asked help from the divine voice that always used to talk to him, so that he can understand where his faults lie.

Growing up in one of the dying suburb areas in North Bengal, his thoughts were always confined. His fantasies never had the freedom to realize the reality. Ananda, the teenaged protagonist was a loner in his journey when suddenly his new teacher Doel accompanied him. Doel wanted to change Ananda’s life so that he could concentrate on his studies because she could identify his strength of creativity. Doel genuinely forwarded her help and Ananda also started to change with all his innocence. But the fight between a good and evil conscience during adolescence always made Ananda lost in his wanderlust. Many times it has been shown that Ananda got allured to some of his scintillating, wild desires while he was with Doel.

Ananda never wanted to be restricted in his hometown, rather he always wanted to break all the boundaries to discover the mysterious world outside, he wanted to see the big city Kolkata. His surroundings impacted his character and mentality in all the bad possible ways. His teachers in school always scolded him, his friends always mocked at him and some close friends like Lattoo always provoked him to some disgusting activities and his father used to beat him almost every night. So he was hungry for care, love which was fulfilled by Doel. The first time Ananda realised that suicide is never an option of life is when he got all the care and respect from Doel. Ananda got so much obsessed with Doel’s increased participation in his life that the abrupt disappearance of Doel hurt him a lot. Ananda decided to find out all the missing answers from Doel by searching for her in Kolkata. His determination finally helped Ananda to follow the trail of Doel, who was behind the bars due to some uncanny association with illegal activities.

But after Ananda returned back home two months later meeting Doel in Kolkata, he was a completely changed boy. He behaved as if the meaning of life has changed for him. The change from life in a lazy, laid back town in the North Bengal to the fast moving life of Kolkata, the difference between the lush beauty of the tea-gardens and the busy streets of the city of joy freed Phoring from the cage of forbidden visions and imaginations. His window for viewing the world had widened and with the presence of Doel, Ananda transferred his inability of communicating his thoughts to the pages of his diary. The analogy drawn here between the character of Phoring (Bengali literal meaning : grasshopper ) and Ananda here is that unless it has the freedom to fly, Phoring keeps hitting everywhere without any aim like a mouse with a head. The lesson that the society should learn from this movie is that a mind should be given enough freedom to breath, develop and break away from the shackles of adolescence. The ending track of the movie in the words of Tagore also demonstrates Freedom saying :

আজ যেমন ক’রে গাইছে আকাশ তেমনি ক’রে গাও গো,

আজ যেমন ক’রে চাইছে আকাশ তেমনি ক’রে চাও গো,

আজ হাওয়া যেমন পাতায় পাতায় মর্মরিয়া বনকে কাঁদায়,

 তেমনি আমার বুকের মাঝে কাঁদিয়া কাঁদাও গো „

Trailer