BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Suvarthi Chaudhuri First of all I would like to congratulate Mr. Kamaleswar Mukherjee for a brave and inspiring attempt. Chander Pahar, the most expensive Bengali cinema till date, will definitely change the course of Bengali cinema in coming years. From cinematic point of view the movie is not anyway comparable to Indiana Jones or King Solomon's Mines or Romancing the Stone. Not even near to those. But we have to remember that it's a Bengali film with a budget of only 15 crore. So it will be unfair to compare this film with any of the Hollywood classics.Plus points.1. Marvelous camera-work. I have to admit that the photography is really stunning and near perfect. Specially the helicopter shots. 2. Direction. Despite a few loopholes, Kamaleshwar Mukherjee has done a commendable job. 3. Gerard Rudolf as Diego Alvarez. I really like this man. His screen presence is more enjoyable than Dev. 4. Background music. Some lack of variation, but appropriate for an adventure in Africa.Weakness.1. Dev's accent. Far better than Paglu, Khokababu etc. But still a long way to go. 2. Volcanic eruption. The CGI is below average. 3. Some variations from the original story. Like, in the original book, the Black Mamba didn't bite Shankar. He put the torch light into the eyes of the snake for three hours. After that the snake moved away. This would be more realistic. Another variation is the Bunyip. The mythical creature. Shankar never killed Bunyip. It remained a mystery till the end. This would also be more realistic and cost efficient. Overall, I like the movie. It's a memorable and entertaining journey which lasts for 2 and half hours. I recommend this film to everyone. Specially for Bengali speaking people, it's a must-see. Despite the flaws, with this film, the Bengali cinema will enter into a new era. And this feeling is making me very proud as a Bengali.

joythemallick Chander Pahar one of the best novel i'v ever read and Chander Pahar the mv is one of the worst mv i'v ever seen.first of all when i write this review everybody think that i'm a dev hater.but let me tell u in the mv if anything i like the most was the acting of Dev and the cinematography.and the worst part of the mv was storytelling.Kamaleshwar Mukherjee had written a horrible nd disgusting story plot.when the mv start it was okay everything but then sankar suddenly got the job in Africa nd not in uganda,directly in the station.okay then he not only fight with the lion also kill the lion.and Sankar haven't see the bunip in the whole novel and in the film he 's not only see the creature also kill it...and then Diego Alvarej being a chandannagar native lad and fluently speaking bengali and the zulu chief speaking English fluently.what a crap....man salute to you......and Mr.Kamaleshwar Mukherjee at first learn how to write story,screenplay and directing also.and don't insult any other great novel again............

Sourik Bhattacharya The movie started off with a promising portrayal of African landscape and the way Shankar is introduced is smooth and serene. After he got into Africa, the initial experiences of him are effortlessly depicted and skillfully performed. But then, the stint of him as a stationmaster took so much time and Diego Alvarez's arrival was less effective on the perspectives of the film. Then they set out for their adventure. It is seen that the movie never got too much intense and the ups and downs were abrupt. The chemistry between Shankar and Alvarez did not work out and the plot was lost in trying to portray different events in a short span of time. The night shots were horrible as the shooting was done in clear daylight and the picture was shaded with blue to depict night scenes. The role of Bunyp is an absolute blunder. However, the final 20 minutes were attractive and Dev did well there. Overall, Dev didn't suit for the role of Shankar and missed too many fine moments.

ayanpal1 Chander Pahar was a movie that made me repent about the following: 1. Why did I not read the book as a kid? 2. Why did I underestimate Dev the actor? 3. Why did I assume Kamaleshwar Mukherjee Movies will be too artsy for comfort? 4. Why did I think a Bengali film made on a budget of 15 crores can never match a Hollywood movie, forget getting close to even a Bollywood one?I was wrong on all counts and how!Ever since the movie opened with an eagle soaring through the skies and swooping down on Africa, I was stunned into submission and since then, the first cinematic adaptation of the iconic Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's 'Mountain of the Moon' / 'Chander Pahar' managed to catch my attention over and over again... with me actually wishing the movie was not over!Several sequences stood out for their cinematic execution – The desolate station and its nature loving station master Shankar captured against the various hues of the African skies, the roaring lion about to intimidate its prey, the Black Mamba slithering into existence, Shankar crossing over a devilishly deep chasm in a attempt to rescue Alvarez (played aptly by Gerard Rudolph) from a pack of Hyenas and cheetahs, the perilous hikes across the mountains, the desolate desert where you could no longer distinguish between hunter and prey, the excavation of caves of desire and what it was about to yield, and last but not the least the final farewell of a trusted friend. Every single sequence seamlessly added to the overall narrative while managing to retain its individualism.Be it Dev the actor who grew by leaps and bounds (literally!) as he sprinted into the film with a heart firmly in place, or the director and his brilliantly astounding team – Cinematographer & DOP Soumik Halder, editor Raviranjan Maitra, or for that matter the Art Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer, and Action Director – all of them effectively brought to life the effective and engaging script and screenplay, aided by some haunting background score by Indradeep Dasgupta.To be honest, the movie was not as perfect as Mackennas Gold, Indiana Jones, or The Life of Pi - far from it! But just as the protagonist Shankar wished to lead a life as adventurous as that of David Livingstone, Mungo Park, and Marko Polo, Shree Venkatesh Films helped ensure that this movie could be counted as an extraordinary successor to the movies listed above for its sheer audacity in bringing to life an extraordinary tale of action adventure from early 19th century Bengal. In hindsight, the protagonists weren't the best of actors around. But what they lacked in skill, was compensated by a tremendous self belief and determination that showed, and had me rooting for the roles they portrayed.To borrow a line from the movie itself, 'its better to travel well than to arrive' which is why I can say with pride and certainty that that this is not just the best ever action / adventure / fantasy movie to have come out of Bengal, but also one of the best of its kind to ever be made in India. After a long time, it's time again to say, and hope, that what Bengal things today, India shall think tomorrow. I would rate it an 8 as a film that warrants a repeat viewing and give it an extra star for being the best ever example of its genre from India to close it as a 9/10.P.S: You will, like me, enjoy the film irrespective of whether or not you have read the book. But then, I am anyway going to after watching the film... What about you?