Prosenjit Chatterjee steps in as the idealist doctor and father in Pavel’s new film Daktar Kaku

Daktar Babu can be best described as a movie that stands as a metaphor that no person is black or white. Prosenjit Chatterjee’s lead role (Daktar Kaku) as an idealistic doctor and father, Riddhi Sen playing Chatterjee’s son Pushkin as the face of an ambitious Gen-Z and Pavel as Pocha/ Karna Das as the grateful adoptee of Daktar Kaku is a realistic portrayal of how mindsets change with time and exposure to the world.

Newly released Bengali movie Daktar Kaku touched us and here's why you should watch it too

Pavel, known for his films like Rosogolla, Asur, Kolkata Chalantika brings to screen yet another movie which focuses on two extremely important part of today’s social milieu – education and medicine. His subtle putting forward of his stance through creativity and art is a testament to the fact that conversations only start on social media and fields, it is actually kept alive and brought to life from time to time through creative works like Daktar Babu.

The film has an illustrious cast including Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rajatava Dutta along with a lot of youngsters including Riddhi, Pavel, Enaa Saha (who also turns producer with the film), Shreelagna Banerjee and Suchandra Bhattacharyay with a special appearance by Subhashree Ganguly.

The narrative follows a fateful night when Daktar Kaku loses his ill wife in an accident and Karna / Pocha loses his mother too. That is when the doctor takes Karna and his sister, Mampi (Suchandra) under his wings and they grow up with his own child Pushkin. The timeline follows the three protagonists through childhood, as teenagers, through their college years, and on to their careers, every time focusing on the stark difference in each of their paths. While Karna never forgets where he comes from, how grateful he is to his Daktar Kaku and strives to make him proud each day, Pushkin sees his ambition growing and strives to detach himself from his roots. But as the Daktar reiterates multiple times, ‘Shomoshyar Naam Karl Marx’, his roots, upbringing, moral dilemma and father’s ideals never truly leave him.

What is striking about the movie is that polar opposites like duty and responsibility, ethics and the unethical, class and economy, modernization and extinction, gratefulness and sacrifice walk hand in hand without being thrown at the audience’s face. The subtle reality of the situation actually makes one think it over how they would have reacted in certain situations. Moreover, the fact that it caters to several generations together, makes it a brilliant family drama. Its success and relevance lies in bringing to the forefront the dangerous fight that morality and pure middle-class upbringing carries on against commercialization, ambition, and the changed meaning of success to stay relevant today.

Prosenjit as the idealistic father plays every bit his role. The 80s and 90s audience in the hall would also love a song sequence which almost brought back memories of his earlier movies. Riddhi Sen’s ambitious character which is aiming to find success is always at an internal loggerhead with himself as ambition and success doesn’t necessarily bring peace and contentment. Pavel’s grounded Karna is mature, understanding and knows how to progress by holding on to his roots at the same time. Enaa’s role as Pushkin’s love interest Sheetal Damani needs special mention. Her innocence and charisma in her Hindi-Bengali dialect and calm adaptiveness to every situation is commendable.  While fun-loving, she is also one of the most mature characters in the movie. Shreelagna, Suchandra and Rajatava as supporting characters bring in their own charm, while gusts of comic relief made the film turn into a package of balanced emotions. While the acting was truly impeccable we felt the make-up and costume department could have bucked up slightly, but that is a minor aspect easily excused vis a vis the overall relevance of the subject.  

Daktar Babu is currently running in theatres near you

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