Sunetra Sen
The story is good and has been around for a long time. However, the way it was adapted for the movie leaves a lot to be desired. An action/adventure movie needs to be fast paced...this one is anything but...Some of the landscape shots in Africa are nice but most leaves a lot to be desired...the night shots are horrible most of time...the African tribes don't seem authentic...and although I am not an expert on this myself the tribal dance and customs seem a bit unrealistic...Now for the acting...the lead actor just doesn't know how to act...I have known him to be a successful commercial actor in Bengali movies and am really amazed at the lack of skills....no expression...no dialogue delivery....Some of the other actors were a bit better..however there was no on screen chemistry between them...nor did we see the lead character grow up...overall the only saving grace is that the movie tries to do something in a genre which is slightly uncommon in Bengali movies...
joythemallick
Chander Pahar one of the best novel i'v ever read and Chander Pahar the mv is one of the worst mv i'v ever seen.first of all when i write this review everybody think that i'm a dev hater.but let me tell u in the mv if anything i like the most was the acting of Dev and the cinematography.and the worst part of the mv was storytelling.Kamaleshwar Mukherjee had written a horrible nd disgusting story plot.when the mv start it was okay everything but then sankar suddenly got the job in Africa nd not in uganda,directly in the station.okay then he not only fight with the lion also kill the lion.and Sankar haven't see the bunip in the whole novel and in the film he 's not only see the creature also kill it...and then Diego Alvarej being a chandannagar native lad and fluently speaking bengali and the zulu chief speaking English fluently.what a crap....man salute to you......and Mr.Kamaleshwar Mukherjee at first learn how to write story,screenplay and directing also.and don't insult any other great novel again............
Ria Datta
An awesome,fabulous movie. It has taken Indian movies to a new height!!Kudos to Mr.Kamelshwar Mukherjee and his whole unit who have dared to undertake such a risky project for the sake of Indian cinema. Dev has been really good especially during last part.Also liked the way Kamaleshwar has perfected the concept of Bunyip.Other stunts with the wild animals were also nicely done. A big round of applause to the dop.The photography is really breath taking. Altogether a very thrilling and adventurous movie....a nice break from the daily regular masala movies we generally watch!! So go ahead...and make an eventful 2.5 hours journey to "Chander Pahar".
ayanpal1
Chander Pahar was a movie that made me repent about the following: 1. Why did I not read the book as a kid? 2. Why did I underestimate Dev the actor? 3. Why did I assume Kamaleshwar Mukherjee Movies will be too artsy for comfort? 4. Why did I think a Bengali film made on a budget of 15 crores can never match a Hollywood movie, forget getting close to even a Bollywood one?I was wrong on all counts and how!Ever since the movie opened with an eagle soaring through the skies and swooping down on Africa, I was stunned into submission and since then, the first cinematic adaptation of the iconic Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's 'Mountain of the Moon' / 'Chander Pahar' managed to catch my attention over and over again... with me actually wishing the movie was not over!Several sequences stood out for their cinematic execution – The desolate station and its nature loving station master Shankar captured against the various hues of the African skies, the roaring lion about to intimidate its prey, the Black Mamba slithering into existence, Shankar crossing over a devilishly deep chasm in a attempt to rescue Alvarez (played aptly by Gerard Rudolph) from a pack of Hyenas and cheetahs, the perilous hikes across the mountains, the desolate desert where you could no longer distinguish between hunter and prey, the excavation of caves of desire and what it was about to yield, and last but not the least the final farewell of a trusted friend. Every single sequence seamlessly added to the overall narrative while managing to retain its individualism.Be it Dev the actor who grew by leaps and bounds (literally!) as he sprinted into the film with a heart firmly in place, or the director and his brilliantly astounding team – Cinematographer & DOP Soumik Halder, editor Raviranjan Maitra, or for that matter the Art Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer, and Action Director – all of them effectively brought to life the effective and engaging script and screenplay, aided by some haunting background score by Indradeep Dasgupta.To be honest, the movie was not as perfect as Mackennas Gold, Indiana Jones, or The Life of Pi - far from it! But just as the protagonist Shankar wished to lead a life as adventurous as that of David Livingstone, Mungo Park, and Marko Polo, Shree Venkatesh Films helped ensure that this movie could be counted as an extraordinary successor to the movies listed above for its sheer audacity in bringing to life an extraordinary tale of action adventure from early 19th century Bengal. In hindsight, the protagonists weren't the best of actors around. But what they lacked in skill, was compensated by a tremendous self belief and determination that showed, and had me rooting for the roles they portrayed.To borrow a line from the movie itself, 'its better to travel well than to arrive' which is why I can say with pride and certainty that that this is not just the best ever action / adventure / fantasy movie to have come out of Bengal, but also one of the best of its kind to ever be made in India. After a long time, it's time again to say, and hope, that what Bengal things today, India shall think tomorrow. I would rate it an 8 as a film that warrants a repeat viewing and give it an extra star for being the best ever example of its genre from India to close it as a 9/10.P.S: You will, like me, enjoy the film irrespective of whether or not you have read the book. But then, I am anyway going to after watching the film... What about you?
