'Vinci Da' is an interesting watch for a movie watcher, as with it, Srijit returns to what he does best, thrillers. Vinci Da qualifies as one of the best thrillers Tollywood has made in the recent years, and keeps the viewer intrigued until the end.
The song used in the trailer, sung by the current Bengali heartthrob Noble, sums up the movie quite well, as its lines carry meanings that can only be understood later on in the movie, along with references to Lalon Fakir and Leonardo Da Vinci. Another track by Anupam Roy adds some mixed emotion, while the music played during the climactic scene is as epic as it needs to be.
The climactic scene, and the lead-up to it is indeed one of the finest I've ever seen in Benhali thrillers, although it suffers from a lack of pace at certain periods. Let my words not fool you, the film is never, and I mean, never, boring. The interval comes after a breeze, as the story moves forward with character introductions. After the interval, the plot tenses, and that too for all the good reasons.
The character of Aadi Bose is as chilling as it needs to be. The younger version of the character, played by Riddhi, simply kills his father, and shows enough brain to kill him before his 18th birthday, thus exempting him from a sure death sentence. The wit comes from an eternal love for law and its consequences, which makes it somewhat mentally distorted.
The older, (im)mature version of Aadi Bose is even more dangerous. His criminal record (patricide) bars him from achieving his dream of being a criminal lawyer, and he is not content to give advice to top lawyers. Thus, he becomes a serial killer (lawyer). His faulty ideals leads him to believe he is fighting for justice, but the face of the innocent people being killed says otherwise.
Aadi is extremely dangerous, murderous, captivating and somehow truthful. The way he blackmails Vinci Da and captures evidence is the signs of a complex mind.
Vinci Da, on the other hand, provides the title of the story. He is like us common Bengalis, only being extremely educated on the subject he loves, and having decency and a backbone to speak against the mediocre bigwigs. Although at first captivated by Aadi's words, his humanity takes over soon enough and the rest is history.
I love how symbolism and foreshadowing is used in the movie, foreshadowing being the most important aspect I search for in a thriller. When Vinci Da turns his beloved into an old woman by the help of prosthetics, we have no idea the same effect will be implemented in the final scene of the movie. Even Vinci Da foretells his intention multiple times while being at Aadi's house.
Biblical symbols are freely used, as Aadi can be taken as the fallen angel, while Vinci Da judges him as the God. I love how Srijit mixed Biblical references of the judgement alongside our very Bengali cultural reference in 'Chor Police'.
Leonardo Da Vinci is in fact an important part of the film. The title wordplays his surname to Vinci Da (Da means elder brother in Bengali), and the poster directly references him. Vitruvian Man, Mona Lisa and Last Supper is directly referenced, as is his mastery in different genres of art and science.
Prosthetics is as shown as an amalgam of art and science, and the movie shows the power of prothestics, and the beauty, all while showing the plight of the skilled costume designers and makeup men of films. Fittingly, the lead makeup man and costume director gets seperate credits, just after the director gets it.
Ritwick has literally proved himself to be head and shoulders above all other actors in Bengali cinema, and this role solidifies his place. Riddhi shows unmatched courage in a performance not expected from such a young chap, and yes, it still comes as a shock when we know how impressive his acting can be. Sohini shows stature, plight and character in the short screen time she gets. Among the victims/villains, Bharat Kaul seemed to me the best actor. Rudranil as the titular character was nice, although at times his acting felt a bit flat to me. Not being rude to him at all, he's excellent, but sharing screentime with Ritwick must have some effects on the viewer.
Srijit is finally showing shadows of his old self, after a few melodramatic flicks. The cinematography is excellent, especially the full shots of the broken house, where Ritwick's and Sohini's character meets. Plus, the lines are crisp, while not being idiotic one-liners.
CONCLUSION
Vinci Da is a legit thriller, with full cultural references, excellent character work and a plot to fall far; watch it for the performance by Ritwick and Rudranil.
4.0/5.0
.
The song used in the trailer, sung by the current Bengali heartthrob Noble, sums up the movie quite well, as its lines carry meanings that can only be understood later on in the movie, along with references to Lalon Fakir and Leonardo Da Vinci. Another track by Anupam Roy adds some mixed emotion, while the music played during the climactic scene is as epic as it needs to be.
The climactic scene, and the lead-up to it is indeed one of the finest I've ever seen in Benhali thrillers, although it suffers from a lack of pace at certain periods. Let my words not fool you, the film is never, and I mean, never, boring. The interval comes after a breeze, as the story moves forward with character introductions. After the interval, the plot tenses, and that too for all the good reasons.
The character of Aadi Bose is as chilling as it needs to be. The younger version of the character, played by Riddhi, simply kills his father, and shows enough brain to kill him before his 18th birthday, thus exempting him from a sure death sentence. The wit comes from an eternal love for law and its consequences, which makes it somewhat mentally distorted.
The older, (im)mature version of Aadi Bose is even more dangerous. His criminal record (patricide) bars him from achieving his dream of being a criminal lawyer, and he is not content to give advice to top lawyers. Thus, he becomes a serial killer (lawyer). His faulty ideals leads him to believe he is fighting for justice, but the face of the innocent people being killed says otherwise.
Aadi is extremely dangerous, murderous, captivating and somehow truthful. The way he blackmails Vinci Da and captures evidence is the signs of a complex mind.
Vinci Da, on the other hand, provides the title of the story. He is like us common Bengalis, only being extremely educated on the subject he loves, and having decency and a backbone to speak against the mediocre bigwigs. Although at first captivated by Aadi's words, his humanity takes over soon enough and the rest is history.
I love how symbolism and foreshadowing is used in the movie, foreshadowing being the most important aspect I search for in a thriller. When Vinci Da turns his beloved into an old woman by the help of prosthetics, we have no idea the same effect will be implemented in the final scene of the movie. Even Vinci Da foretells his intention multiple times while being at Aadi's house.
Biblical symbols are freely used, as Aadi can be taken as the fallen angel, while Vinci Da judges him as the God. I love how Srijit mixed Biblical references of the judgement alongside our very Bengali cultural reference in 'Chor Police'.
Leonardo Da Vinci is in fact an important part of the film. The title wordplays his surname to Vinci Da (Da means elder brother in Bengali), and the poster directly references him. Vitruvian Man, Mona Lisa and Last Supper is directly referenced, as is his mastery in different genres of art and science.
Prosthetics is as shown as an amalgam of art and science, and the movie shows the power of prothestics, and the beauty, all while showing the plight of the skilled costume designers and makeup men of films. Fittingly, the lead makeup man and costume director gets seperate credits, just after the director gets it.
Ritwick has literally proved himself to be head and shoulders above all other actors in Bengali cinema, and this role solidifies his place. Riddhi shows unmatched courage in a performance not expected from such a young chap, and yes, it still comes as a shock when we know how impressive his acting can be. Sohini shows stature, plight and character in the short screen time she gets. Among the victims/villains, Bharat Kaul seemed to me the best actor. Rudranil as the titular character was nice, although at times his acting felt a bit flat to me. Not being rude to him at all, he's excellent, but sharing screentime with Ritwick must have some effects on the viewer.
Srijit is finally showing shadows of his old self, after a few melodramatic flicks. The cinematography is excellent, especially the full shots of the broken house, where Ritwick's and Sohini's character meets. Plus, the lines are crisp, while not being idiotic one-liners.
CONCLUSION
Vinci Da is a legit thriller, with full cultural references, excellent character work and a plot to fall far; watch it for the performance by Ritwick and Rudranil.
4.0/5.0
.