Maacher Jhol review: Traditional dish, modern values

Riding on the success of the Bengali blockbuster Saheb Bibi Golaam (2016), film critic-turned- director Pratim D Gupta delivers another promising film named after a much loved dish. Maacher jhol bhaat (Bengali fish curry and rice) is not something Bengalis eat at a restaurant. It’s a traditional eat-at-home dish, the recipe of which has been passed on through generations.

The film’s story essentially captures, among other things, the bond between mother and son – the bond that starts with food. The story starts when a celebrity Bengali chef settled in Paris, Dev D played by Ritwik Chakraborty comes back to Kolkata to see his ailing mother, played by veteran actress Mamata Shankar. He is back in Kolkata after 13 years after leaving his private sector job to pursue a passion for food. The now famous chef’s leaving remains a bone of contention for his father; who cannot come to terms with the fact that his engineer son is now a cook. The film highlights the divide between the old generation’s priorities with the new generation’s ambitions, much like we have seen in Three Idiots (2009), where Farhan’s father cannot accept the fact his son wants to be a wildlife photographer.

When Chakraborty goes to see his mother in the hospital, she wants him to cook the maacher jhol that he had prepared before leaving their house. It becomes a challenge for the celebrity chef to cook the simple dish, as he finds it difficult to achieve the same success he did more than a decade ago. The strained familial ties are further accentuated, by Chakraborty’s surprising discovery that his estranged wife, played by Paoli Dam is still in touch with his family while he is in a live-in relationship with his French girlfriend.

Chakraborty enacts his role with consummate ease, shape shifting from being a successful chef, to becoming an adorable kid with his mother and an angry son while confronting his father. Mamata Shankar, portrays the anguished mother with grace, especially when she discovers that her son is not staying at home but in a hotel because of the strained relationship he shares with his father.

Maacher Jhol goes beyond food to portray the complex modern relationships, ambitions which at times are confronted with old school thoughts and traditions. What stands out is the lack of melodrama, a crisp screenplay, neat editing, smart dialogues and a healthy dose of nostalgia. When Gupta reminds us of a frequently repeated sentiment in Satyajit Ray films on why Bengalis never forget their mother tongue Bangla, despite living away for many years – you know the film is worth your money.