Film review| Himjyoti Talukdar's 'Ilish': A Short Film on Middle-Class Aspirations and Limitations
Filmmaker Himjyoti Talukdar’s latest short film, Ilish (2024) premiered at the recently concluded 9th Tezpur Film Festival, organised from December 26 to 29, 2024 at the Bali Ram Lahkar Sabhaghar, Axomiya Club, Tezpur. An adaption of a short story by Riju Hazarika, the short film has the filmmaker doing what he best does - telling stories that are identifiably and experientially ours. The film, with a runtime of 15 minutes, though modest in its scope, represents the struggle to balance aspirations and limitations in middle-class life.
Much like his celebrated Calendar (2018), filmmaker Himjyoti Talukdar, yet again brings up the subtle contradictions embedded in middle class lives where simple moments of joy and contentment is often burdened by the weight of financial and social obligations. But this time the slice-of-life episode has an extra element of comedy in it.
In this context, Aparna Dutta Choudhury plays a mother with a humble yearning for the taste of ilish fish. She wants to share a wholesome family dinner, especially before her son returns back to the hostel. Dip Jyoti Kakati portrays the father, a character determined to fulfil his wife’s and the family’s desire to enjoy the indulgence of the costly ilish.
So, the stage is set and the plan is made. The planning of course comes at the cost of juggling between monthly expenses which also reveal the invisible labour of middle-class parents, whose love is both practical and unconditional.
There’s also the almost routine like interplay of economics against the demands of an everyday domestic life in a middle-class household, which, as shown in the film, is no less than a complex bureaucratic procedure. It is a task that involves multiple paper works and that includes - monthly expense tracking, life insurance premiums and bill payments, academic fee payment of children, etc.
That said, the fish is finally brought and the dinner is prepared now only waiting to be served. However, the introduction of a quirky guest—someone whose presence consumes not just the predictability of the family’s lives but also their carefully calculated dinner—highlights the comical tragedy of the situation.
The guest, played by veteran actor Jyoti Bhuyan, much like Paresh Rawal’s character in Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? (2010), brings an absurd layer of humour to the situation. It’s a comic tragedy of a kind as to how the family’s warmth and act of culinary generosity are met with the unassuming actions of a guest who obliviously devour the last remaining piece of the fish.
And then, the mother—who was to be credited for envisioning a joyous, shared meal with her family—finds herself with an empty plate of rice, her hopes dashed in the most unexpected and funniest of ways. The humour and also the sadness of the situation lies in the helplessness and the unspoken understanding between the family members, who have nothing else to do but take solace in the fact that the ilish this time was not very tasty.
Ilish is a warm tale of parental love and sacrifice produced by Momi Syed and Arundhati Sarmah Baruah with Muktismaan Hazarika and Jyoti Prakash Nath as executive producers. The cinematography is credited to Ramjyoti Krishnacharan with editing by Uddipta Kumar Bhattacharyya. The sound recording and design for the film is done by Rajkumar Rahul Dihingia and colour by Upamanyoo Das.
The other talented members of the crew that brought the film to life include Arnab Bashistha, who composed the music for the film, and Shivam Saikia, whose art direction set the visual tone for the narrative. Costume design and makeup were handled by Poly Gogoi and the production was managed by Jitu Tapan. Randeep Ghosh assisted as the direction of the film while Suprov Tamuli Phukan handled the role of the assistant cinematographer. Additional crew members included Tiku as the spot boy. The short film is dedicated to all passionate lovers of ilish fish.