- Release Date: 19/07/2024
- Cast: Bolin Bora, Ujjal Rajkhowa, Nitu Khanikar, Trailukya Borua, Sumki Kachari
- Director: Suvrat Kakoty (SUV)
The endearing characters from the immensely popular web series make their foray onto the big screen with Suvrat Kakoty’s hilarious Bidurbhai. The film begins where the story of the series left off. Bolin, Ujjal, Nitu, and Trailukya are grappling with the consequences of their actions to earn a quick buck. They contemplate surrendering to the man they wronged, having committed their act out of desperation. Little do they know that their troubles have barely begun.
Throughout the rest of the film, Suvrat Kakoty takes us through a flurry of situations, some heartbreaking and some heartwarming, that ultimately guide the lovable characters through a myriad of emotions and experiences, introducing them to the many facets of the wonder called life. What happens to our Bidurbhais? What problems do they have to face? Do they lose their near and dear ones, and what do they gain from it all in the end? This delightful slice-of-life film answers all these questions and gives us a whole lot more.
Hilarious situations and fantastic dialogues between characters
As with the web series, the film is peppered with hilarious situations or predicaments that the characters find themselves in, resulting in rip-roaring comedy. The film starts off with two of these situations and then constantly delivers on the comedy with one quirky exchange after another between the characters, featuring some of the most laugh-out-loud moments we have experienced in Assamese films this year. What worked for me in terms of comedy was that it stemmed from the genuine predicaments of the characters. What appeared funny to us was actually a matter of tragedy for the characters, and most of the characters kept a straight face through these moments, compounding the comedy for us and leading to more laughs. This also ensured that we were able to take the comedy seriously and not shrug it off as something that was just a gag. The comedy here is developed from the story and its various aspects and not added on as an appendage. This simple factor is something that many of the more recognized directors and writers do not understand or use these days, resulting in some atrocious use of comedy that mars the impact of a screenplay.
While the writing of the comedy into the fabric of the narrative is wonderful, the dialogues are even better. There are numerous situations where double-meaning dialogues are used so subtly that I was literally rolling on the floor laughing. These are primarily tragic situations for the characters, but the entire theatre erupted with laughs during these scenes. I even felt guilty laughing along with the rest of the audience at situations that would have been tragic and heartbreaking in real life. However, they are presented with such comic timing and the compounded impact of the situation, expressions, dialogues, and the characters’ reactions that they are rendered uncontrollably funny. This is something that is achieved throughout the rest of the film as well, where even a scene involving a character expressing his life’s greatest tragedy to his friends becomes a hilarious and uncontrollably funny moment. The dialogue and the exchanges between the characters remain on point throughout. Even the emotional and dramatic moments or moments of bliss are hugely benefited by the serious and poignant writing of these scenes resulting in them turning impactful and heartwarming.
The Performances Are the Backbone of the Film
Carrying forward from the web series, every character in the film is rendered wonderfully by the ensemble cast. The actors who were involved in the web series know exactly how to approach their respective characters, understanding every beat. This allows them to elevate their performances without overdoing it. Ujjal Rajkhowa, for me, was the funniest of the lot, primarily because of what happens to his character and how seriously he carries Ujjal throughout the film. His reactions to different situations and his interactions with the others were enough to make me laugh even without him saying a single line of dialogue. Once tragedy strikes his character, he becomes even more hilarious. The writing of his character allows him to truly spread his wings in terms of performance.
Bolin Bora and Nitu Khanikar, as the other two key members of the group, do fantastic work in their respective roles. Without their reactions to Ujjal’s performance, the comedy might not have worked as well as it did. Trailukya Borua breathes life into some of the most heartbreaking situations of the film with his performance. He is subtle and effective in his rendering of tragedy, and this portion of the film sets up what ends up being a rollicking and immensely satisfying finale for a film that didn’t seem to be heading in that direction until it actually did.
There are some notable new additions to the cast of characters, but none as effective and hilarious as Ashim Sharma, who owns a portion of the film and leaves his impact on a certain character for the rest of the film. I will refrain from saying anything more about the character to avoid spoiling the fun for audiences who deserve to enjoy it fresh without prior knowledge of what the character is all about.
Genuine Predicaments, Social Messaging, and a Satisfying Finale
As I thought hard about why I was so enamoured by and engrossed in the story of these characters, which could have been shorter, I realized that it was the authenticity of their predicaments and the various factors impacting the lives of the men that drew me into the story. We have all seen these situations and circumstances around us, and we all know what they amount to. Hence, when we see the characters going up against similar ordeals, we are able to colour the screenplay and the impact of the predicament on the characters with our imagination and expectations, leading to a compounded impact and making the characters much more engrossing and intriguing.
There is a healthy chunk of socio-economic commentary delivered through dialogues between characters. Some may question the existence of this in a film of this nature, but then they should recognize that we all have had our share of delivering social commentary when we have been in the company of friends who have been on the receiving end of similar predicaments in a socio-economic context. Most of these dialogues and situations worked for me. The most effective of these however was a sequence between Sumki Kachari and Sarmistha Das which nearly moved me to tears.
This authenticity is also a significant contributing factor to the comedy working well. As Alfred Hitchcock once said, it is crucial for the release of tension to be as satisfying as possible, and this is something that instantly elevates a film. Suvrat Kakoty is able to ensure that with what he achieves with the climax of the film. The clue to where the climax was headed was given to us during a thumping song and dance number, but I initially thought it was an editing goof-up. It is only when the climax is revealed that I realized what we were being set up for. This was immensely satisfying and the kind of culmination that the film built up to was one factor that elevated the experience for me. I have become sick and tired of watching underdogs and common men suffer in films. It’s time we had the Bidurbhais win and have the last laugh.
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Final Words
The film has a wicked background score in some of the key moments, elevated by Suvrat Kakoty’s sensibility of presenting his characters heroically, as he so wonderfully pulled off in Sri Raghupati. It would be wrong to say that I didn’t enjoy the songs just as much. They appear in key moments in the film and elevate them organically. Bidurbhai for me was an immensely enjoyable experience. I walked in with a throbbing post-extraction toothache but was still laughing my heart out throughout. This should tell you everything you need to know about the film.
However, I must add that one needs to see the web series available on YouTube before walking into this film. The film will not be the same if you do not have an idea of where these characters are coming from. A portion of the film’s appeal and comedy will be lost if one does not know what the original series was all about. Bidurbhai is releasing in theatres this Friday (19/7/2024), and I urge all my readers to positively give it a watch.
Rating: 3.5/5 (3.5 out of 5 Stars)
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