Have you ever visited Kolkata during Pujo? If not, then you are missing one of the most amazing experiences that the city has to offer. Durga Puja in Kolkata is not just about a ritual of worship of the Hindu Goddess. It is sharbojoinin meaning public and open to all caste, creed, and religion. The grandeur of the festival is such that it is truly unmissable for one.
Uma is the story of a girl who is suffering from a terminal illness. She lives with her father played by Jisshu Sengupta in Switzerland. Every year she asks her father to take her to Kolkata on Durga Pujo but it was not possible until Jisshu learnt that her beloved daughter, played by his real daughter Sara Sengupta, is left with very little time. She is about to die.
That is when the father decides to redecorate the entire city of Kolkata in off-season to show his daughter the Pujo of her dreams.
The plot is based on true events surrounding the life and death of Evan Leversage, who lived in St George in Ontario, Canada.
No more spoilers. All this description was only to appeal to you to watch the film.
Jisshu is convincingly the bestest father one can ask for. He never fails to woo the audience with his deep coordination with the character he plays. Starting at a tender age as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Jisshu has risen as a household name in Bengali Film Industry. Each of his films is entertaining. Lately, he has given a lot of wonderful performances to delight us more and more.
His daughter, Sara, who acted as a debut artist is sweet and acts very naturally being in the character. Rest we have Srabanti as her fake mother who makes us weep with her powerful acting. Then we got Anirban Chatterjee who is truly versatile. He acts like such a fierce Sanghi that you might be enraged. But then his work is done. A villain is supposed to make us hate him. Yet the true villain of the movie is nothing but the girl’s untreatable ailment.
Each of the actors in this film is awesome and the storyline is such that no one can drop it from their watch list.
Uma has four maestros – Director Srijit Mukherjee, Lead Jisshu Sengupta, Music Director Anupam Roy, and Singer Rupankar. Srijit Mukherjee is one of the best directors of India in current times. All his films are worth watching including Uma. He has brought out the wonder of Pujo so beautifully that one can only marvel at it.
National Award Winners – Anupam Roy and Rupankar are again the best of the lot in the music industry. The title track of the film – Jaago Uma – is the right song to lift your soul this Pujo.
Uma is available on Amazon Prime with subtitles.
