Carnival

This visually exciting film merges documentary and fiction, evoking notions of Eros and Thanatos, and of joy and sadness. Meandering with a very free camera style through intriguing situations in overcrowded Kolkata during a Hindu festival, the protagonist rediscovers old places.
　　Babu returns from abroad to his home city of Kolkata due to the demise of his mother. He gets caught up in a whirl of colours, lights, crowds, music, sacrifices and ritualistic spectacles that evoke hidden emotions within him. He deals with his memories while roaming around and rediscovering his home city.
　　The Hindu autumn festival of Durga Puja has a special meaning for Bengali people, and the film is beautifully suffused with the spirit of this auspicious event. Stop-motion, moving pictures, saturated photography, a very free camera style and an intriguing sound design create the inner emotional space of Babu, who after losing his mother spends most of the time with his old father.
　　Carnival, a world premiere, is Madhuja Mukherjee's first feature film. An upcoming Indian talent who has previously done some interesting shorts and video installations.