The beauty of this film is the unconventional narrative and the changing perspective of its setting. Usually, a traditional reunion would take place over social occasion, business meets, or even an accident. This reunion becomes engaging all the more because it moves from one scenario to another, each locale interesting for its characteristics. The trickster has run out of tricks and luck, with no hope for tomorrow.
Given its wafer thin story line, the faith of this film purely hinged on the nature of the conversations, and the performance of its cast. It's here that the director is blessed to have Prosenjit Chatterjee and Jaya Ahsan who are almost flawless in the portrayal of their layered characters. While both Asimabha and Sayani evoke a sense of frustration, but you don't want to be judgmental about them. Morality would abhor them, particularly Asimabha, but their imperfections also brings them acceptability.
Chatterjee is exemplary in his portrayal of the sullen, despondent man. The litany of cases has clearly dragged the once self-styled magical trickster down. He's sinned a lot, but there still is an honest streak in him. That is seen from his kind gesture in adopting a street urchin. It's quite an evocative film, with abundance of subtext allowing the viewer to build his or her interpretations and it is this aspect which makes it rather niche. It's certainly not for those who want films to be ready to digest material. Infact, they might find this film to be quite a nuisance. But of you spend on concentration and sensitivity, it is quite a remarkable watch.
Review of Robibaar
