Elixir is a 2016 Bengali short film by Anirban Guha, a Delhi-based banker. During his student days, Guha was deeply involved with theatre and stage productions in Delhi and Bangalore.[3] Elixir was selected for the Cannes Short Film Corner 2016 along with six other Bengali films. The cast includes Daminee Benny Basu, Arindom Ghosh, Mahul Brahma, and Dr. Koushik Dutta.[4][5]
| Elixir | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Anirban Guha[1][2] |
| Screenplay by | Anirban Guha |
| Story by | Sinjini Sengupta |
| Produced by | Anirban Guha |
| Starring | Mahul Brahma Daminee Benny Basu Arindom Ghosh Dr. Koushik Dutta Koustav Bhattacharya Sinjini Sengupta |
| Cinematography | Ravi Kiran Ayyagari |
| Edited by | Sreya Chatterjee |
| Music by | Nilanjan Sen,Shantunu Biswas |
Release date |
|
Running time | 34 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
Plot
editThe film traces the journey of a woman who lives in parallel worlds. The film opens with Srija (Daminee Benny Basu) receiving a phone call from her husband Avik (Arindom Ghosh).[6] Avik asks her whether she can take a break for a few minutes to meet one of his old acquaintances. This unknown man was carrying a parcel for Avik. So he asks Srija to collect it from him. Srija agrees to pick up the parcel. The same evening, Srija waits for the acquaintance at a nearby cafe. As she was waiting, the waiter serves her a glass of water. So far, everything was usual.[7] However, things change when Srija drinks the water ( Elixir). The drink though looked and tasted like water but it was a magical potion that transported Srija to a world of fantasies where she meets Akash (Mahul) and soon sparks fly between them. Srija gradually drifts away from reality and her husband and their relationship hit the rocks. Srija ends up in a mental asylum where she once again, is offered the Elixir of her life.[8]
Cast
edit- Daminee Benny Basu as Srija
- Arindom Ghosh as Avik
- Mahul Brahma as Akash
- Dr. Koushik Dutta as the Counsellor
- Koustav Bhattacharya as waiter/liftman/hospital ward boy
Crew
edit- Direction - Anirban Guha
- Story - Sinjini Sengupta
- Screenplay - Sinjini Sengupta & Anirban Guha
- Sound - Suchisuvro Sen
- Cinematography - Ravi Kiran Ayyagari
- Editor - Sreya Chatterjee
- Music - Shantunu Biswas, Nilanjan Sen
- Playback Singer - Sharmi Chakrabarty
Production
editThis 35-minute film is based on a story written by Sinjini Sengupta and directed by Anirban Guha. As a full-time banker, it was a bit difficult for Guha to manage time and travel frequently to Kolkata. So, the entire process from shooting to post-production took an entire year.[9] It started from the middle of 2015. The shooting was completed within 4 days in December, 2015. This was followed by post-production activities. The members of the technical team that worked on the film were located in 3 different cities. Work was mostly carried out through long telephonic discussions, internet conversations and a few hurricane trips to Kolkata over weekends to wrap up the project.
References
edit- ^ "Cannes 2016: Bengali Films Selected For the Short Film Corner". NDTV. Press Trust of India. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ "Elixir(2016)". imdb.com. IMDB. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ "Cannes call for Bengali short films". business-standard.com. Business Standard. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ "Short Film Catalog". festival-cannes.fr. Festival De Cannes. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ Savnal, Aditya. "32 Indian Films Selected For Cannes Short Film Corner 2016". jamuura.com. Jamuura. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ "Elixir". festivalfocus.org. FestivalFocus. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ "Kolkata corporate communicator excited about Cannes date for role in short film". twfindia.in. Trans World Features. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ Dasgupta, Priyanka. "Six Bengali shorts make it to Cannes Short Film Corner!". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Times of India. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ "Limelight: Cannes can". telegraphindia.com. The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.