Sadly Over-hyped

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

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.

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.

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.