Puratawn (2025) [Film Review] — A Quiet, Compassionate Study of Memory and Family

Suman Ghosh’s Puratawn (The Ancient) is a measured Bengali psychological drama that privileges feeling over plot mechanics. Anchored by a masterful turn from Sharmila Tagore and steady work from Rituparna Sengupta, the film is a slow-burning meditation on aging, memory, and the small reckonings that arrive when the past resurfaces. If you seek films that trade spectacle for subtlety, Puratawn quietly rewards patience.

Synopsis: Homecomings and Hidden Histories

The film follows Ritika (Rituparna Sengupta), a working woman who returns to her ancestral home to care for her aging mother (Sharmila Tagore). What begins as a routine visit unfolds into a delicate excavation of buried memories: fragments of the mother’s past surface, revealing complexities that unsettle Ritika and force both women to reassess long-held assumptions. The narrative moves in a non-linear, associative way, allowing recollections and present moments to converse on screen.

Direction & Script: Suman Ghosh’s Subtle Hand

Suman Ghosh — both writer and director — continues his preoccupation with intimate human stories. His approach here is restrained and respectful: scenes are given room to breathe, and revelations emerge through implication rather than exposition. The screenplay often prefers suggestion, which helps preserve emotional truth but occasionally leaves secondary threads, such as Ritika’s relationship with Rajeev (Indraneil Sengupta), feeling underexplored. That sparseness, however, also lets the film’s mood and character textures take center stage.

Performances: Sharmila Tagore Steals the Quiet Center

Sharmila Tagore delivers the film’s most affecting performance. She embodies the mother with a careful economy — a look, a pause, a small, elliptical gesture — that communicates a lifetime of interiority. Rituparna Sengupta matches her with a nuanced portrayal of a daughter balancing professionalism with private duty; the tension between control and vulnerability is believable and affecting. Indraneil Sengupta’s contemplative Rajeev and Ekavali Khanna’s brief but memorable presence add depth, while the supporting ensemble, including Subhrajit Dutta and Brishti Roy, bolsters the film’s emotional ecosystem.

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Cinematography & Sound: Memory Rendered in Frame and Score

Visually, the film is attentive to texture. Cinematography lingers on domestic details — a cracked wall, a hand on a cup — transforming the house into a repository of memories. Editor Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s cuts are economical, shaping the non-linear structure so it feels purposeful rather than disjointed. Alokananda Dasgupta’s musical palette, highlighted by the haunting number Dooray (sung by Shreya Ghoshal), complements the film’s elegiac tone without imposing melodrama.

Strengths & Shortcomings: A Poignant Tone, a Slightly Hasty Close

Puratawn’s greatest strength is its emotional honesty. The film treats aging and family care with dignity, avoiding simple moralizing or sentimentality. Scenes of quiet recognition — a shared silence, a story partially remembered — linger long after the credits. On the downside, the denouement feels a touch rushed; some narrative threads are suggested more than resolved, which may leave viewers wanting a firmer thematic close. Yet those omissions are also part of the film’s temperament: it trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity.

Verdict: A Thoughtful, Moving Drama for Discerning Viewers

As a critic, I appreciate Puratawn for its restraint and the way it centers two powerful actresses in a domestic drama that gradually reveals larger emotional stakes. It’s not a crowd-pleaser in the conventional sense, but it is a compassionate portrait of family, memory, and the ways the past quietly shapes the present. For viewers drawn to Bengali psychological drama and performance-led cinema, Suman Ghosh’s film is a rewarding, if slightly imperfect, watch.

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Final thought: Puratawn is a small film with an expansive heart — moving, contemplative, and anchored by Sharmila Tagore’s quietly brilliant performance.

Rating: ★★★⯪☆ (3.5/5)