Review

Cast: Victor Banerjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, Shayan Munshi, Raima Sen, Arindam Sil, Piya Rai Chaudhary, Travis Ammons
Director: Anjan Dutt
Producer: Joy Ganguly
Music Director: Neel Dutt
Lyricists: Anjan Dutt, Neel Dutt, Vibha Singh

The objective of ‘The Bong Connection’ is clear. It presents the meaningful subject along with the elements of a commercial film, slightly on the downslide.
The story of The Bong Connection revolves around two young ambitious men, who are in quest of fulfilling their dreams. Andy (Shyan Munshi) believes that Kolkata is a place reigning with culture and music. Later, he realises the sluggish ways of the city.
On the other side, Apu (Parambrata) leaves his homeland and heads to Houston, only to appreciate and understand the true meaning of his homeland. The parallel approach of the two stories makes it an interesting watch with the collision of two different mindsets.
The problem of the film lies in its vast storyline, which revolves around the two men. The crust is widespread and the message conveyed is hard to digest in the limited frame.
The characters is well sketched and believable. On the contrary, the two characters look exploited when the precedence is given to the charactes revolving around them. Looking at the big picture, this is niggling.
Technically speaking, the film gets most of the minuses due to its lacklustre homework. The photography is dull and stale. The cities haven’t been captured to the fullest. On the better side, the editing is fantastic and makes ‘The Bong Connection’ an enjoyable watch. The comic touch which is the essence of the film is treated with a lot of freshness.
Actingwise, the depth shown in each of the lead characters is acceptable. Shyan Munshi, especially, takes his character to an all new level, thus rising his standards of acting. Parambrata is equally good with his dialogue delivery and body language. The other actors either overdo their bit or do not get the scope to perform.