Shubho Mahurat (2003) User Reviews

A must see Bengali detective movie!!!

[tmhossain · 8/10 · 1 June 2006]

Although the plot is somewhat predicable, this movie was surely very riveting till the very last minute. Packed with Indian star actresses like Sharmila Tagore and Nandita Das, there was never any lack of suspense.

On the down side, I think the story was adopted from one of Agatha Christie novels, however it was not mentioned except the movie was dedicated to one of her creations, Miss Marple.

It is not easy to convert this foreign theme in Bengali and Rituparno Ghosh has done an excellent job. I would call it one of the best Bengali detective films.

An actually good Bengali film

[neo_papilon · 9/10 · 28 June 2005]

In the current era of Bengali cinema, where often the average wit required to endure a 3 hour torture is less than a 3 year old's, this Rituporno whodunit comes as a fragrant zephyr. In fact, unlike some other critically acclaimed movies made by Rituporno (like Raincoat), this one is well-paced, and holds the audience till the very end.

Granted it is taken from the Miss Marple story 'The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'. But for someone who has NOT read Agatha Christie to a great extent, this will truly be worth the ticket. Again, for the ones like us, who have been die-hard Christie fans since our teens, we should know pretty well how difficult it is to make a screenplay out of a Christie novel. Simple b'cos her stories have the psychological treatment much more than actual actions. This is where Rituporno excels. He has got a fantastic script, acted out by brilliant actors, and what we get in the end is a true treat.

A very good Bengali film after a L-O-N-G time.

Indianised Agatha Christie minus the British Snobbery

[samratrc1417 · 9/10 · 29 October 2005]

Yeah!I am very big fan of Agatha Christie and when i first heard of an Indian(Bengali) version of 'The Mirror Crack'd from side to side' i practically winced.Having seen the one with Liz Taylor & Rock Hudson with Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple i was wondering what Mr.Ghosh, the director had to offer in this Indianised version of a classic.

The result is nothing short of amazing as Mr.Ghosh rewrote the entire novel in an Indian context and suitably indianized the characters to make the movie thoroughly entertaining.The casting was a stroke of genius by bringing in the legendary Sharmila Tagore to play Marina Gregg.The story has been altered in places in such a way which makes more sense from the Indian point of view. Also Rituporno managed to avoid the 'Costume Drama' like feel of the Liz Taylor version.Viola!We now have a story which we can relate to.

The end result is superb due to the fact Rituporno is one of those filmmakers who know how to tell a story and edit well enough to keep the flow of the tale.

I am glad that he attempted this movie and hopefully i would love to have a Bengali version of '4:50 from Paddington'.Well done!Rituporno. Keep up the good work.

This day and age

[david-bond-2 · 2 February 2007]

This day and age? Difficult to see why a novel that formed the basis for a popular (if not very good) American film in the 1980s and an excellent British television adaptation in the nineties should somehow have become so antiquated in 2003. Agatha Christie novels never work terribly well as whodunnits in film versions since it is almost impossible to duplicate in a film the devices she uses so superbly to fool readers in her novels. What Rituparno Ghosh has done is something very clever indeed. He has rewritten the piece so that in effect the whodunnit elements become less important and the psychological elements of the story (never a particular strongpoint with Christie) are much enhanced. The adaptation to an Indian situation is extremely adroit and all in all this is quite the best film (as opposed to television) adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel that I have ever seen (and I think one way or the other I have seen most of them).

A fascinating murder mystery for your weekend watch

[anjumhaz · 9/10 · 15 January 2022]

Shuvo Maharat is a murder mystery film by Rituporno Ghosh. A film so well adapted from Agatha Christie's novel, I wouldn't believe without watching.

Rituporno just proved that he can make a successful movie of any kind. In this movie, we see prominent female stars Sharmila Tagore, Rakhi Gulzar who once ruled Bollywood. We see young Nandita Das, who became prominent later. Also loved Anindo Chatterjee's calm performance. And of course Tota Roy Chowdhury's acting too. Such a gala of stars and a mystery well blended- please watch this rare Bangla murder mystery and make your weekend watch a worth!

A brilliant film!

[debtanaylaha · 10/10 · 17 April 2018]

Brilliant dialogues, interesting story line and tremendous acting. Rakhi Gulzar take a bow for portraying Ranga Pishi so superbly. She does justice to every dialogue whether it's humour, sarcasm, wit or a playful jibe. Nandita Das brightens up every frame with her screen presence. Sharmila Tagore playing an actress - superstar, does more than justice to her character. So do Anindya and Tota.

Bengali movies needed a breath of fresh air, and such crisp film making along with portrayal of so many emotions, could possibly be only done by Rituparno. I am sure he will be counted as one of the legends in Bengali cinema. RIP Mr. Ghosh.

Waste of film...

[agnilahiri · 6/10 · 6 October 2003]

This movie is based of an Agatha Christie novel, which for its time must have been very original and spellbinding, but in this time and age, making a movie based on those stories is an insult to the audience. 10 minutes into the movie its easy to guess who is the victim as well as who is the killer. The acting on the other hand is great, which is what i would expect anyway, since this movie is packed with bollywood superstars like Nandita Das and Sharmila Tagor.

"Christie's.. Adapted so well in the backdrop of making of a film"

[smkbsws · 7/10 · 16 September 2020]

Adaptation of Christie's 'The Mirror Crack's from Side to Side'. Adapted so well in the backdrop of making of a film with a ageing star and how it can get messed up to every level, that I never believed it was a Christie story until we read the actual one in translation. The features Sharmila Tagore and Rakhee sharing screen after 30-40 years when they were in the peak of their sexy careers. Also, real cameos by Goutam Ghose, Madhabi Mukherjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee and Abhijit Guha. I have a sweet tooth for detective stories, but this one actually counters all the the then tropes about those and breaks the ongoing filmgasm of Feluda and Byomkesh being made every year.

What were they trying?

[harineem-209-525488 · 4/10 · 7 February 2018]

I have seen "Mirror Cracked" with Elizabeth Taylor in the actress role. I really thought the director would give some twist or make it more interesting.I am not a Bengali but quite interested to see the creativity in their movies.On the contrary it was very boring and slow.Why is the cop more interested in dating a prime witness(in fact the last person to see the victim alive) a journalist rather than solving the case?Isnt it unethical in the first place? Why is Nandita Das shown as so immature and foolish that obvious hints cannot be understood by her but have to be interpreted by her aunt Rakhee? Some of the characters are written with no logic.A lady who has been dumped by a man despite having a very sick child restarts her affair after getting money from someone else to treat the child.An actress who has a serious drug problem is hired for a lead role despite the director hating her. I have never been a fan of Rakhee but she did justice to the role. But between Sharmila Tagore and her, I felt Sharmila Tagore was the better actress.