Cast: Tapas Pal,Abhishek Chatterjee,Locket Chatterjee,Sohini Pal,Debjani Chatterjee,Nimu Bhowmick,Santana Basu and others Abideshini is usually a girl from a foreign land. But in this film she is the young,fresh and bubbly Nodi (Sohini Pal) who comes from Kolkata (!) to study in a college in the hills. This narrow vision carries right through the film though it does have some original elements in the detailing of the characters and the backdrop. You must believe that Abhishek Chatterjee who is in his late 40s,plays Rik in this film and is studying for his graduation exams. His friends circle includes Shaoli (Locket Chatterjee) his childhood playmate who is now in love with him. Her love,one-sided right through,has a fatalistic streak. She will not take no for an answer. The young,sprightly and full-of-life Nodi arrives from Kolkata (is Kolkata bidesh?) and is requested to stay on at Riks home with his older sister and younger brother. When Nodi and Rik fall in love,the script plays on the song-dance routine in picturesque backdrops till you really need a break. Shaolis brother (Tapas Pal) with a sister fixation,decides to bump off Nodi so that Rik can then marry Shaoli. He runs his car over Nodi. She does not die but loses her sight. The script turns its attention to Shaolis frequent headaches and you have guessed it right she is suffering from brain cancer. Rik is intent on marrying the blind Nodi and you can guess what happens to this young girl whose retinal problem is curable and a dying donor is ready to give away what she needs both lover and sight,courtesy Shaoli. How many films have we seen with this same story shot in hilly locales with lots of songs and dances? So whats new? There is an interesting sub-text that suggests at a love story between Riks older sister Shoiti (Debjani Chatterjee) and Shaolis brother gone sour because of their sacrificing nature. It is kept at the suggestive level and not permitted to go into flashback. That touch about a take-away joint run by Shoiti is quite a good touch. Tapas Pal is very much in control, for once. His sudden change of face is unconvincing. Abhisheks Rik hardly finds a match in Sohini who is half his age as Nodi. But both compensate with their natural performances. Sohini has a fresh charm about her that has not been exploited onscreen till date. Locket is too old to play a love-struck maiden and cannot carry her Western outfits with grace. The budget constraints are far too obvious and perhaps the reason for the film being shot extensively on location. Ashok Bhadras music is just okay for the songs but is loud and jarring in the soundtrack. Joy Mukherjee needs to polish up his act. VERDICT** One star goes to the cast and one for the total look of the film.
