Indubala Bhaater Hotel

Indubala Bhaater Hotel is a 2023 drama Bengali web series available on the streaming platform Hoichoi. The series, based on the eponymous Bengali novel by Kallol Lahiri,[1] is about the life and struggles of Indubala, the protagonist.[2] Her somber life, punctuated with fleeting hopes of happiness, exemplifies a human's yearning to return to one's roots, only to be shackled by the heaviness of responsibilities and the vagaries of geopolitics.

Indubala Bhaater Hotel
GenreDrama
Written byKallol Lahiri
Directed byDebaloy Bhattacharya
StarringSubhashree Ganguly
Rahul Banerjee
Sneha Chatterjee
ComposerAmit Chatterjee
Country of originIndia
Original languageBengali
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Production companyHoichoi
Original release
NetworkHoichoi
Release8 March 2023 (2023-03-08) –
present

Plot

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The series explores the trials and tribulations of Indubala, born in a village of East Bengal who marries an urban man from Kolkata (in Western Bengal) and leaves her ancestral village. She has to adjust to the new way of life in the city. She becomes a widow at an early age and brings up her two sons singlehandedly.

With guidance from a few well-wishers, Indubala–an experienced cook–starts a home-based small restaurant mainly catering to local workers and commuters. Gradually her restaurant becomes popular thanks to word of mouth, and much later due to shares in social media from its aficionados. With the earnings from the restaurant, her life slowly stabilizes. Her children grow up and settle into their lives.

Throughout all these years, Indubala reminisces about her childhood in the village of East Bengal and yearns to return there one day, but can not because of her familial responsibilities and also because the village belongs to another country Bangladesh (stemming from the 1947 partition of India and 1971 independence of Bangladesh).

Cast

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  • Subhashree Ganguly as Indubala Mallick
  • Sneha Chatterjee as Lachhmi
  • Debapratim Dasgupta as Dhananjay alias Dhana
  • Angana Roy as Sanchari
  • Rahul Banerjee as Pradip: Indubala's younger son
  • Pratik Dutta as Ratanlal Mallick: Indubala's husband

Soundtrack

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Indubala Bhaater Hotel
Soundtrack album by
Amit Chatterjee
Released30 April 2023
Recorded2021–2022
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length54:36
LanguageBengali
LabelSVF Music
Official audio
Indubala Bhaater Hotel - Full Album on YouTube

The music of the film was composed by Amit Chatterjee.

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Pakhider Smriti (orchestral Version)"Debaloy Bhattacharya, Atul ProsadIman Chakraborty4:36
2."Pakhider Smriti"Debaloy Bhattacharya, Atul ProsadIkkshita Mukherjee4:03
3."Dhiki Dhiki"Debaloy Bhattacharya, Ritam SenIkkshita Mukherjee3:38
4."Dehotori"Debaloy BhattacharyaChakropani Dev5:47
5."Ami Eka Chini"Debaloy BhattacharyaJayati Chakraborty6:16
6."Shunyo E Buke"  4:29
7."Kakhana Haribe Dukho Mor + Majhi Baiya Jao Re"  5:01
8."Kothay Tomay Pai"  5:23
9."Tore Chinono Na Jay"  5:59
10."Dana Kata Pori"Debaloy BhattacharyaAnirban Bhattacharya9:58
Total length:54:36

Reception

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The series received generally positive reviews.[2][3][4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Indubala Bhater Hotel". Goodreads. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Indubala Bhaater Hotel Season 1 Review: Of melancholia and the mundane". The Times of India. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  3. ^ বসু, কুণাল (14 March 2023). "OTT Review: ইন্দুবালা ভাতের হোটেলে কেমন রান্না, খেয়েছেন?". Eisamay Gold (in Bengali). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Indubala Bhaater Hotel Part 1 Review: A Heartbreaking Tale of Food and Memories". Leisurebyte. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  5. ^ ডেস্ক, নিউজবাংলা (11 March 2023). "কেমন হলো 'ইন্দুবালা ভাতের হোটেল'". Newsbangla24 (in Bengali). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  6. ^ Goswami, Ranita (12 March 2023). "পাখির জীবন ছেড়ে খাঁচাবন্দি, চোখের জলে ভেজে ইন্দুবালার স্মৃতিপট". Hindustantimes Bangla (in Bengali). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
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