Name: It Happened In Calcutta
Cast: Karan Kundrra (Ronobir Chatterjee), Naghma Rizwan (Kusum)
Ratings: 3.5 stars
Director: Ken Ghosh
When it comes to period drama, one conjures images of extravagant outfits and setup with over-the-top art directional inputs. Often, creators fail to keep the balance between augmented reality and reality but it seems like the equilibrium has been well established in Ken Ghosh’s latest web show streaming on ALT Balaji and ZEE5 titled ‘It Happened In Calcutta’.
Set in the backdrop of the 1960s and ’70s, the story is about two individuals who are absolutely poles apart from each other but get struck by Cupid amidst the entire crisis around. The 60s and the 70s were a time when India was rocked by the cataclysmic India-Pakistan war compiled with the helpless Cholera disease that killed many at that time. Karan Kundrra aka Ronobir Chatterjee plays the cool and handsome casanova of his college who doesn’t even hesitate to get intimate with his college faculty member. Naghma Rizwan (Kusum) on the other hand is a serious and dedicated MBBS student (the only female in the class).
They say opposites attract, and similar is the case in It Happened In Calcutta with Kusum getting charmed by Ronobir’s flamboyance and ends up falling head over heels in love with him. And then the inevitable happens. She gets betrayed and cheated and ends up losing faith and belief in love.
Eventually, both re-unite due to strong lurking affection in their bosoms but the socio-political scenario of the city gets the better of the couple and they end up splitting.
The entire narrative deals with how fate and love can take a hit due to turmoil in the society, an apt reflection of today’s times.
The performances are strong and commendable from Karan and Naghma and the duo gives their best to get the body language right when it comes to behaving and emoting as two people in love around the 60s era. The background score is praiseworthy and usage of mesmerizing and soothing Bengali tracks like ‘Ekla Cholo Re’ only add to the highlight of the show. It acts as the perfect metaphor for the show narrative. While Karan does his best to play the ‘baddie’, debutante Naghma’s screen presence will not make you feel that she is a newcomer.
Overall, watch ‘It Happened In Calcutta’ to get the perfect twist of history blending with love. You might just get reminded of the beautiful ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai’ when it comes to certain scenes.
3.5/ 5 stars