WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
A delineation of self. How we see who we are becomes a defining point on our existence, allowing us to then ideally express ourselves in the way we feel most comfortable with, hopefully with the accompanying acceptance of those closest to and around our sphere of influence. Yet, when we step outside “the standard”, of what’s considered “normal”, the experiences that follow can break us or cause us to fight through and stand firm. Manob (Arghya Adhikary) is a man who has long since realized he identifies as a woman. Yet, thanks to his abusive father Shankar (Manoj Michigan) and cultural traditionalism, his choice is shunned, causing Manob to venture into a harried, frenetic state of self examination to determine once and for all exactly who he will become.
Next, my Mind:
Ingrained heritage and its customs, blinded and enlightened perceptions, overt rebellion against convention, the true nature of love and what it should be, the torment of a conflicted mind, and the stalwart finality of choices made all get their just due through this 24-minute short film drama from writer/director/producer Tathagata Ghosh that had its NYC Premier as part of the LGBTQ Programming at the 2021 NYC South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Festival Director/Jingo Media Founder Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev. It’s my second viewing of this effort, a no-holds-barred, unflinching narrative that, in today’s modern India and outward into the world, warrants being showcased on a level that isn’t always easy to take in, but strongly bears such deep, impactful, ongoing relevance to its foundational LGBTQ-centric themes and intent.
The film becomes, for this critic anyway, another cornerstone example of art and the grander messages one can take from the story that surpass any general, hesitant personal preferences when it comes to this subject matter, illustrating once more that cinema is indeed the perfect canvas on which to convey even the most controversial of topics with unabashed candidness yet do so in a manner that can speak to anyone and not just to a specific community. Here, the tale of one man’s journey to discover his sexual identity is delivered with a raw depth that very much engages you as the viewer and takes you into his troubled reality as he wrestles to become what he feels and strives to be, and do so with a resolve that transcends the misunderstanding and hate to reveal the confident human being underneath.
What I found most unique about this particular account is the more personal sense of connection you feel when watching Manob’s journey and the inner travails he must endure and/or encounter to finally arrive at his final destination, which in itself is no straightforward, “it’s just obvious” path. Through utilization of flashbacks to his childhood that provides an interesting context to how his identity was established and then carries into multiple encounters that will be flashpoints of both confusion and revelation. Having the narrative take this direction very much makes the story resonate in a similar overall manner to the epic film “Khejdi“, even presenting a similar visual look for Manob’s character along the way, and it all emphatically accentuates the underlying concepts of love, approval, standing for what you believe in the face of accusation and bigotry, and defying the odds no matter what the cost. The film’s finale puts a focus on all of these notions in a manner that will honestly and purposefully jar you with its potent significance.
Adhikary shines with both a fiery defiance and an understated intensity through his role as Manob, who is only seeking to discover an absolute confirmation and subsequent validation of who he is and therefore find a place in the world. Facing the onslaught of a totally non-tolerant father while trying to experience the love he desires, Manob traverses into the seedy underside of the city thanks to a chance meeting with one of the night workers at a local bus stop during the day, and it initiates a series of lessons he learns through the perspectives of those he mingles with, culminating in key moments and actions that will forever and definitively guide the path he is on. It’s a heavily nuanced performance intermixed with more overt sequences of emotional volatility, and Adhikary navigates them all with beautiful poise and palpable demonstration of the conflict of conscious and choice Manob’s character deals with.
Primary supporting roles arrive through Michigan as Manob’s homophobic and verbally/physically abusive father Shankar, who seems to believe any form of violence is a factor to “cure” his wayward son, Bimal Giri as Amiya, a lover Manob is attempting to keep but who has no compulsions about making it clear what he really wants and how he really sees Manob, Payel Rakshit as Jhimli, the prostitute whom Manob connects with on multiple levels and who may or may not actually support who he is, Ratrish Saha as Ratrish, a transwoman who becomes a mentor figure to Manob, Soumya Majumdar as Subrata, a relative of Manob’s mother (Ananya Dhar) whose sister Bithi, played by Avishikta Chatterjee, is a further pawn in Shankar’s “designs” to “fix” Manob, Riddhish Dhar as the younger version of Manob, and Tamoghno Tapasidhya as Tamoghno, a tenant and classical Indian dancer whom inspires Manob’s path as a child.
So, in total, with so many more facets to witness I chose not to engage here so as not to spoil the film (therefore, WATCH IT!), “Miss Man” is a wholly accessible but undeniably weighty, blunt, unfeigned, sometimes brutal other times poignant portrait of the harsh actualities faced by so many in the queer community while they all continue to contend with the world around them still fighting in so many ways against their endeavors for acknowledgement and acceptance. Likewise, as hinted at above, its a film that should reverberate within us as people inhabiting this planet so that we may ALL seek to find the means to even disagree, or otherwise find new common ground, with peace, genuine love, and better comprehension of what it is meant to be what’s known as human.
Miss viewing “Miss Man” at either physical festival? Worry not! Check out the film online when it screens beginning October 25th as part of Virtual SAFF 2021!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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