Cinemawala Review – Cinemawala is a Bengali drama released in 2016. The movie’s plot revolves around the stress in the relationship of a father and the son, where the father wants his son run his family business and the son takes a different route.

Director Kaushik Ganguly has used the background of a father-son relationship and depicted the fading glory of single screen theaters in India. The movie has a realistic take on the current state of affairs of the single screen cinema and how elements like piracy is killing them.  In a way the father and son and their strained relationship becomes the metaphor for the struggle and identity of the single screen cinemas.

The performances of Paran Bandyopadhyay and Parambrata Chatterji is very powerful and they add a lot of life to the scenes. Sohini Sarkar has supported them very well. Parambrata Chatterji has played the character with a negative shade very well. The character of the man who looks after the theater has also been created well. The scenes are constructed very well and there is an aesthetic appeal to it.  The climax sequence of the movie is very impactful and nails the message very effectively. This one is yet another wonderful movie I got to see at Bengaluru International Film Festival.

High Points: Performances of Paran Bandyopadhyay and Parambrata Chatterji, Engaging screenplay, Climax sequence

Low Points: The only low point is the core message on the state of single screen theater loses its focus when the focus is on the father-son relationship. However, the climax sequence brings back the focus and ends convincingly.

Overall Cinemawala has a very compelling story and creates the impact it intends to. You cannot stop yourself from feeling sad for the single screen cinemas that have been closed. This one is a must watch for all film lovers.

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