Chaturanga (2008)

I saw the fine 2008 Indian film "Chaturanga" at a local university screening, part of a U.S. tour by the film's writer and director, Suman Mukhopdhyay. As with "I'm Not There," it's a film I enjoyed even though I didn't get all of the film's references because of my ignorance of India. But, this is a universal film about one man's struggle to comprehend the most mysterious forces in the world that enrapture, sooth, confound, tickle, plaque, haunt, bewilder and otherwise thrill the male mind: women, religion and logic.

The film is told in four chapters (the meaning of the film's title), as the college age Sachish (Subrata Dutta) leaves religion behind for a fully logical life, then leaves logic behind for a fully religious life, and then takes two more inner-journeys which I won't disclose as it would ruin the film. Sachish's logical journey is marked by twin tragedies, and he flees into exile for a year until his best friend Sribilash (Joy Sengupta) seeks him out in a religious commune. Also in the commune is a young widow (the sublime Rituparna Sengupta) who loves Sachish, who won't budge from his religious trek to return the feeling. The final chapter, told in a time line similar to "The Sweet Hereafter," reveals where the three leads stand some time later.

The universality of "Chaturanga" is its strength. India is shown as a country in conflict with itself politically, sexually, culturally and religiously. Mukhopdhyay has made a beautiful film about how his countrymen and women walk through that conflict. Few American films dig that deeply into cultural and personal fabrics.

The venue I watched the film in was not ideal: The projection appeared to be off a lousy DVD with the blown-out whites and murky darks, while the subtitles appear to be hit and miss. The action onscreen is apparent, so not ever word needs to be understood. Still, the drawbacks did mar my overall enjoyment of the film. Fair to the director? Maybe. Maybe not. I hope to see this again. B+