The Bengali play Ichheymoto's Je Janlagulor Akash Chhilo, directed by Saurav Palodhi and adapted from stories by the late Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, offers a poignant journey through the lives of four Xennial friends in Kolkata. Starring Buddhadev Das, Pratik Dutta, Krishnendu Saha, and Turna Das, the play runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes and has earned a rating of 3.5.
Plot Overview
Set in the Bijoygarh colony, the narrative follows Buban (Buddhadev Das), Tubai (Pratik Dutta), Tatin (Krishnendu Saha), and Soma (Turna Das) as they navigate life's highs and lows together, steeped in late '90s romance. The story is narrated by Buban, who profiles their families and the trials that shape their ideologies. Against Kolkata's shifting political landscape—from Leftist legacies to Right-wing stirrings—the play vaults across decades, tracing mindset changes that echo strained family ties. Flashpoints such as East versus West Bengal identities and Left versus Right divides polarize the quartet, but the core focuses on intimate grief and the dissolution of their shared world.
Performances and Direction
The play is energetic and poignant, embracing nostalgia without sentimentality. Minimal sets of chairs and projections allow spotlights to highlight monologues on home turfs, endured abuse, and societal slots. Brain drain and developmental droughts thread through, fueling a longing for a memory-bound past. Bimal Chakraborty and Aditya Nandy ignite the Bangal father-in-law and Ghoti son-in-law dynamic with precise warmth. Wridhhyan Dasgupta, as young Tubai, Buban, and Tatin, radiates naturalism, while Meghatri Mondal's innocent young Soma refreshes the stage, showcasing director Saurav Palodhi's mastery with children. Turna Das layers Soma richly, edged by Pratik Dutta's fierce Tubai and Krishnendu Saha's rupturing Tatin, who claims existence by fleeing bhodrolok abuse that society ignores.
Buddhadev Das molds Buban as a Shakespearean Fool—observer, player, decoder—with the flair of young Shah Rukh Khan from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. His actor dreams bloom, but the role's range peaks in a wrenching finale that jars viewers. The play probes choices personal and political, asking whether Bengal's forward leaps recoiled us backward beyond salvage.
With a leisurely rhythm blending tears and laughs, Ichheymoto's Je Janlagulor Akash Chhilo is a must-watch for theatre enthusiasts seeking a reflective, nostalgic experience.
