Titli

**A Triumphant Masterclass in Metaphorical Melancholic Art**

**TITLI – THE FIRST MONSOON DAY**
**The Poetic Metamorphosis of Lost Time and Sovereign Passions**

**Official Global Accolades & Triumphs:**
Official Selection: 24th Moscow International Film Festival (2002)
Official Selection: Locarno International Film Festival (2002)

**The Uncompromised.**

**Review By Dr Usman Latif Khawaja MB, MRCP UK; Ireland; STA London Royal College of Physicians.**

**Full Cast:** Mithun Chakraborty (Rohit Roy), Aparna Sen (Urmila), Konkona Sen Sharma (Titli), Priyanshu Chatterjee (Cameo as himself), Deepankar De (Urmila's Husband)

**Director & Screenplay:** Rituparno Ghosh

**Cinematographer:** Asim Bose

**Music Composer:** Debajyoti Mishra

**Commercially Released:** 2002

**Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5 stars

**Language:** Bengali

This very discerning product from Kolkata, \[India\], took the festival circuit by storm for its audacious comments on the modern-day approach to feminism and sexuality in 2002. The media-driven world we live in today is satirically presented here as a young teenager, Titli \[Konkona Sen Sharma\], falls for a movie star, Rohit Roy \[Mithun Chakraborty\], who is almost two decades senior to her in age and also, unknown to her, is the ex-flame of her mother, Urmila \[Aparna Sen\].

The plot is further given a twist as the mother and daughter accidentally meet the man himself, and destiny takes its toll as the fascinated daughter realizes the truth behind her mother's financially compromised marriage to her father. The truth is, the movie wins hands down as it makes no revelations as to whether the couple still love each other or if they just share a mutual affection for each other. But the resentment and the hostility, along with the heartbreak suffered by the daughter, make the rest of this fascinating tale a treat to watch.

The script is simple yet multi-dimensional, and the characters are alive rather than living due to the sheer force of the well-etched performances enacted by the entire cast. The daughter’s vulnerability and her hatred for her mother slowly dissolve to give way to sympathy for a bygone time when a woman was dependent on her family when it came to matrimonial issues—a truly metaphorical journey. Yet, the mother's total passion for her daughter and her grief as she looks at her fragile child and her hostile sorrow is very affecting and apprehensive.

But it is the man who is sandwiched between the two women who walks away with the applause in a non-author-backed role. He eagerly tries to please the daughter in a sham effort while really trying to get a few moments of happiness with his past love, which he lost years ago. The irony that the girl could have been their daughter if fate had been kinder is never lost upon him, and his eyes reflect the sense of loss as he looks at the two women. His resignation to the present is apparent as well, as he makes no pretence of hiding his affection for the daughter and his intense emotional involvement with the mother.

The movie is a triumph for Mithun and Aparna as they rekindle their lost love for a few moments against the backdrop of the tea estates in the foothills of the Himalayas. These are magically captured by the master lensman \[Asim Bose\], with a haunting background musical score that leaves nothing to be desired. As Aparna renders a beautiful love poem at her lover's insistence without a background score, you can feel the pathos of every lost love resound in the valleys of the eternal Himalayas.

The director is making a relevant commentary on the relativity of time and its immense impact on human existence. He symbolizes this with the beautiful, fleeting images of Buddhist monks chanting ancient hymns, who add a spirituality to this modern-day story of lust and love. This is a must-see for anyone interested in quality cinema from India that does not resort to any melodrama or song-and-dance routines to add to its credibility. Rituparno Ghosh has also made *Chokher Bali*(2003)—an adaptation of Tagore’s book—as well as *Raincoat* (2004).

"Titli" means the first rainbow after the monsoon rain, and is the name of the young lady in the movie.