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{{short description|2014 film by Ranjan Ghosh}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Hrid Majharey
| image = Hrid Majharey Poster.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| director = [[Ranjan Ghosh]]
| writer = [[Ranjan Ghosh]]
| producer = AP Films Pvt Ltd
| starring = [[Abir Chatterjee]] [[Raima Sen]] [[Indrasish Roy]] [[Arun Mukherjee]] [[Barun Chanda]] [[Sohag Sen]] [[Tamal Roychowdhury]] [[Tanusree Goswami]] [[Shonali Sanyal]] Prasun Chatterjee
| cinematography = [[Sirsha Ray]]
| music = [[Mayookh Bhaumik]]
| editing = [[Bodhaditya Banerjee]]
| distributor = Piyali Films
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2014|07|11|India}}
| runtime = 122 mins
| country = India
| language = Bengali
| budget = 75 Lakhs (Cost of Production)
}}
'''''Hrid Majharey''''' '''('''হৃদ্‌ মাঝারে''')''' ({{lang-en|Live in my Heart}}) is a 2014 [[India]]-[[Bengali language|Bengali]] [[cult]] [[love]] [[tragedy]] [[film]] written and directed by debutant [[Bengali people|Bengali]] filmmaker [[Ranjan Ghosh]]. Inspired by ''[[Othello]]'' and incorporating elements from ''[[Macbeth]]'' and ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'', this was the first film in the Bengali language based on the works of [[William Shakespeare]] and is internationally considered as one of the top five World Adaptations of ''[[Othello]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prezi.com/u6pf_dst8e7t/copia-de-book-report/|title=Copia de Book Report|date=12 April 2016|work=[[Prezi.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.selloscope.com/bez/Othello-Cambridge-School-Shakespeare/1107615593|title=Othello (Cambridge School Shakespeare)|date=23 April 2016|work=[[Selloscope.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.ru.com/?video=othello+1952+drama+%252F+romance+movies+hd+full+movie|title=Othello-Drama-Romance|date=26 July 2016|work=[[Movie.ru.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://umoratv.ru/video/ycIcCE3s_rFc/-/William%20Shakespeare%20-%20Othello%20-%20U.K%20modern%20day%20adaptation|title=William Shakespeare, Othello, Modern day adaptations|date=10 August 2016|work=[[umoratv.ru]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiemuviz.com/2016/08/23/to-weep-or-not-to-weepshakespeares-tragedies/|title=To Weep Or Not To Weep? Shakespeare's Tragedies|date=23 August 2016|work=[[The Critics' Corner|IndieMuviz]]|accessdate=31 August 2016}}</ref> It was first presented as a tribute on his 450th Birth Anniversary in 2014.<ref name="Cover Story">{{cite web|last1=Majumder|first1=Antara|title=Cover Story|url=http://ebela.in/details/20122-17111109.html|publisher=Ebela|accessdate=8 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714121142/http://ebela.in/details/20122-17111109.html|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-04/news-interviews/36742308_1_raima-sen-andamans-abir-chatterjee|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207034543/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-04/news-interviews/36742308_1_raima-sen-andamans-abir-chatterjee|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 December 2013|title=Abir-Raima to pair up for the first time|date=4 February 2013|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=16 June 2013}}</ref> Critics consider it among the top ten adaptations of Shakespeare in Indian cinema, since 1949.<ref name="FilmCompanion">{{cite web|url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/shakespeare-characters-indian-cinema//|title=Shakespeare Chacha is Dead and Alive|date=21 April 2016|work=[[FilmCompanion]]|accessdate=30 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/shakespeare-in-bollywood/article8510082.ece|title=The Bard in Bollywood|date=25 April 2016|work=[[The Hindu]]|accessdate=26 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.tribuneindia.com/news/spectrum/entertainment/love-s-labour-multiplied/226541.html|title=Love's Labour Multiplied|date=24 April 2016|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|accessdate=27 April 2016}}</ref>

The movie achieved cult status by having the unique honour of surviving a crucial two-year journey, from its launch in July 2014 celebrating Shakespeare's 450th birth-anniversary, to being showcased at a British Conference on the Bard held in London in April 2016 to mark 400 years of his death.<ref name="Bengali Film to feature in British Conference on Shakespeare">{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Bengali-film-to-feature-in-British-conference-on-Shakespeare/articleshow/51927829.cms#|title=Bengali Film to feature in British Conference on Shakespeare}}</ref><ref name="Indian Shakespeares on Screen 27-30th April, 2016">{{cite web |url=http://muchadoabtshakespeare.blogspot.in/2016/04/indian-shakespeares-on-screen-27-30th.html#|title=Indian Shakespeares on Screen 27-30th April, 2016}}</ref><ref name="হৃদ্মাঝারে চলল সাগরপারে">{{cite web |url=http://www.epaper.eisamay.com/epapermain.aspx?queryed=9&eddate=4%2f23%2f2016#|title=হৃদ্মাঝারে চলল সাগরপারে}}</ref><ref name="Shakespeare and Contemporary Bengali Cinema">{{cite web |url=http://www.indianshakespearesonscreen.com/#!conference-/h9v95|title=Shakespeare and Contemporary Bengali Cinema}}</ref><ref name="The Bard in Bengali Films">{{cite web |url=http://upperstall.com/features/bard-bengali-film/|title=The Bard in Bengali Films}}</ref>

The [[Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations]] Board enlisted Hrid Majharey in 'Additional Resources - World/International Adaptations of Othello' for their 'A Level Drama and Theatre' course with the theme 'Heroes and Villains - Othello'.<ref name="ocr.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-drama-and-theatre-h059-h459-from-2016/|title=AS/A Level Drama and Theatre - Heroes and Villains - Othello|date=February 2015|work=[[Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations]]|accessdate=15 March 2015}}</ref> Earlier in 2015, the movie was screened at the [[New York University]] [[Tisch School of the Arts]], and was included in their PhD in Cinema Studies ('Shakespeare and Indian Cinema').<ref name="Abir, Raima's film screened at NYU">{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Hrid-Majharey-screened-at-NYU/articleshow/50159167.cms#|title=Hrid Majharey screened at NYU}}</ref><ref name="NYU মাঝারে">{{cite web |url=http://www.epaper.eisamay.com/Details.aspx?id=19848&boxid=15715894#|title=NYU মাঝারে}}</ref><ref name="Hrid Majharey shown at New York University">{{cite web |url=http://www.bollywoodtvreporter.in/HRID_MAJHAREY_SHOWN_AT_NEW_YORK_UNIVERSITY.php|title=Hrid Majharey shown at New York University}}</ref>

Still earlier in its year of release in 2014, it had earned a rare recommendation from Film London in its list of world cinema based on Shakespearean plays.<ref name="Film London launches Shakespeare India">{{cite web |url=http://article.wn.com/view/2014/11/22/Film_London_launches_Shakespeare_India/#|title=Film London launches Shakespeare India}}</ref> In another major achievement, the film and its screenplay were included in the UGC Literature Archive through the 'Shakespeare in Bengal' project conducted by [[Jadavpur University]].<ref name="Hrid Majharey part of JU project ">{{cite web |url=http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31812&articlexml=Hrid-Majharey-part-of-JU-project-02112014101045#|title=Hrid Majharey part of JU project}}</ref><ref name="আর্কাইভে 'হৃদ্‌মাঝারে'">{{cite web |url=http://www.ebela.in/paper/19-9-02@11@2014.html#|title=আর্কাইভে 'হৃদ্‌মাঝারে'}}</ref><ref name="Shakespeare in Bengal">{{cite web |url=https://shakespeareinbengal.wordpress.com/category/films/|title=Shakespeare in Bengal}}</ref>

''Hrid Majharey'' had already created history by becoming the first Bengali film to be shot in the [[Andaman & Nicobar Islands]] after a gap of more than three decades. It was shot in 2013 in the Archipelagos. The last time was in 1979 when veteran filmmaker [[Tapan Sinha]] partly shot his children's adventure film ''[[Sabuj Dwiper Raja]]'' in Port Blair.<ref name="Ranjan Ghosh to shoot in Andamans with Abir and Raima">{{cite web |url=http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/india/20130213/2155632.html|title=Ranjan Ghosh to shoot in Andamans with Abir and Raima}}</ref>

Matinee idols [[Abir Chatterjee]] and [[Raima Sen]] debuted together in a romantic pairing for the very first time in this modern revisiting of William Shakespeare.<ref name="Abir-Raima jodi-The pair comes together in Ranjan Ghosh's first film">{{cite web|url=http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=25&sectid=edid=&edlabel=TOIKM&mydateHid=28-12-2012&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kolkata&edname=&articleid=Ar02502&publabel=TOI |title=Abir-Raima jodi-The pair comes together in Ranjan Ghosh's first film |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017130853/http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=25&sectid=edid%3D&edlabel=TOIKM&mydateHid=28-12-2012&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kolkata&edname=&articleid=Ar02502&publabel=TOI |archivedate=17 October 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="Abir the romantic-Abir Chatterjee on hrid majharey and love stories">{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140708/jsp/t2/story_18590186.jsp#.VDpW_lejxJE|title=Abir the romantic-Abir Chatterjee on hrid majharey and love stories}}</ref><ref name="Why does Raima Sen prefer playing a doctor’s role repeatedly?">{{cite web |url=http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/why-does-raima-sen-prefer-playing-a-doctors-role-repeatedly/|title=Why does Raima Sen prefer playing a doctor's role repeatedly?}}</ref><ref name="Raima’s the new doctor love">{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Raimas-the-new-doctor-love/articleshow/18501015.cms|title=Raima's the new doctor love}}</ref><ref name="I play cardiology student in Hrid Majharey : Raima Sen">{{cite web |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/regional/i-play-cardiology-student-in-hrid-majharey-raima-sen_135305.html|title=I play cardiology student in Hrid Majharey : Raima Sen}}</ref>

== Theme ==
Math professor Abhijit and trainee Cardiologist Debjani's love story begins one rainy evening on a lonely [[Calcutta]] street. And it ends on yet another rainy evening in [[Port Blair]], in the Andaman Islands. In between, lies a roller coaster journey dotted by [[love]] and [[jealousy]], [[faith]] and [[delusion]], [[destiny]] and [[free will]].

The central theme is 'Character is Destiny'. What happens to us in our lives is determined by who we are. It talks about 'Self-fulfilling Prophecy' wherein a prophecy is made to a person and he, in the process of doing everything to prevent it from happening, actually goes about fulfilling it. The film is also about the unattainability of our most cherished dreams. All that we dream of in our lives, most often remain out of our reach.<ref name="Love, and jealousy, 450 years after the Bard – The Times of India">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Love-and-jealousy-450-years-after-the-Bard/articleshow/39571600.cms|title=Love, and jealousy, 450 years after the Bard – The Times of India}}</ref>

== Plot ==
The film begins with a shot in which a very dishevelled looking Abhijit ([[Abir Chatterjee]]) enters the room to find Debjani ([[Raima Sen]]) lying dead on the bed. The story goes back to a flashback and we get to see the reason behind such a fatal outcome. Abhijit is a professor of Mathematics at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. He lives with his only sister Mallika who is a crime journalist by profession. A chance meeting with a soothsayer (Sohag Sen) who warns Abhijit to stay away from love for his own good is not given much importance by the professor. One rainy night he comes across a beautiful damsel in distress Debjani, stranded, as her taxi has broken down. He gives Debjani, a trainee heart surgeon, a lift in his car and Cupid strikes. They date and fall in love. Abhijit, however, faces a problem at his job when an infatuated student proposes him. He rejects and in retaliation she does something to get back at the professor. He is initially arrested, and then ostracized by one and all. Faced with such grave issues at work, he goes to the Andamans along with Debjani in search of a new life. There they meet Subhro ([[Indrasish Roy]]) who is Debjani's junior from their high school days. Subhro runs an NGO at Port Blair and composes music in his pastime. Subhro and Debjani spend time together rejuvenating their old friendship. At times, Abhijit gets jealous of Subhro's unwavering attention on Debjani. Subhro dies in an accident and this leaves Abhijit in a confused state. He begins to question himself about the prophecy of the soothsayer. What actually happens next? Does Abhijit leave Debjani? And how does she die?

== Cast ==
* [[Abir Chatterjee]] as Abhijit Mukherjee
* [[Raima Sen]] as Debjani
* [[Indrasish Roy]] as Subhro Sarkar
* [[Barun Chanda]] as Professor Sen
* Sohag Sen as Ho Chin Hua
* [[Arun Mukherjee]] as Pagla Dashu
* Tamal Roychowdhury as Professor Basu
* Madhuchhanda Ghosh as 'Reba Maashi'
* Tanusree Goswami as Mallika Mukherjee
* Prasun Chatterjee as Indra Halder
* Aditya Sengupta as Amit Mishra
* Sonali Sanyal as Shinjini Mitra
* Breeti Sarkar as Niomi Dey

== Scripting and pre-production ==

The first draft of the screenplay was written in 2008 and underwent numerous rewrites till it got a producer in 2012. This was an assignment in the Scriptwriting syllabus at [[Whistling Woods International]] Film Institute where Ghosh was a Screenwriting student from 2007 to 2009.

Pre-production spanned over four months from October 2012 till January 2013. Recce was carried out extensively in Kolkata and twice in the Andaman Islands to scout for apt yet budget-friendly locations. Jet Airways partnered as the travel sponsor for the Andaman Islands recce and shoot.

== Principal photography and post-production ==

The film was shot on the RED EPIC Camera by ace cinematographer [[Sirsha Ray]] who had shot Bollywood movies ''[[Home Delivery]]'' and ''[[Aladin (2009 film)|Aladin]]'' and Bengali films ''[[Clerk]]'', ''[[Shabdo]]'', ''[[Shesher Kabita]]'' and ''[[Apur Panchali]]'', among others. The first day of the shoot was on 3 February 2013. The film was shot over a period of 23 days with 13 days shoot in Kolkata and the remaining 10 days in the [[Andaman & Nicobar Islands]].<ref name="Abir-Raima to pair up for the first time">{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news-interviews/Abir-Raima-to-pair-up-for-the-first-time/articleshow/18334731.cms|title=Abir-Raima to pair up for the first time}}</ref>

Being the only other Bengali film (after ''[[Sabuj Dwiper Raja]]''-1979) to be shot in the Archipelagos, ''Hrid Majharey'' also became the first ever Bengali film and one of the rare Indian films to have been shot inside the hallowed cells of the [[Cellular Jail]] in [[Port Blair]]. The crew also filmed at Ross Island, Havelock Islands, Chidia Tapu, Corbyn's Cove Beach, Munda Pahar Beach, Wandoor Beach, Aberdeen Bazaar, the Marine Jetty, and at a host of other private and Government owned locations.<ref name="Andaman album Hrid Majharey maker Ranjan Ghosh shares his andaman album with t2">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140704/jsp/t/story_18579340.jsp#.VDpWTVejxJE|title=Andaman album Hrid Majharey maker Ranjan Ghosh shares his andaman album with t2}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Actress Raima Sen in city :::: Shooting of Bengali Film ‘Hrid Majharay’ in AFC">{{cite web |url=http://www.andamansheekha.com/2013/02/28/actress-raima-sen-in-city-shooting-of-bengali-film-hrid-majharay-in-afc/|title=Actress Raima Sen in city :::: Shooting of Bengali Film 'Hrid Majharay' in AFC}}</ref><ref name="I was awe-struck on visiting Cellular Jail: Abir">{{cite web |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/i-was-awe-struck-on-visiting-cellular-jail-abir-114062500074_1.html|title=I was awe-struck on visiting Cellular Jail: Abir}}</ref>

The film was edited by [[Bodhaditya Banerjee]] and the music production was done by [[National Film Awards]] winning music director [[Mayookh Bhaumik]].

== Legacy ==

In 2015, the [[Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations]] Board enlisted Hrid Majharey in 'Additional References - World/International Adaptations of Othello' for their 'A Level Drama and Theatre' course with the theme 'Heroes and Villains - Othello'. Prominent international movies in the exclusive list of nine were [[A Double Life (1947 film)|A Double Life]] (USA, 1947), [[All Night Long (1962 film)|All Night Long]] (UK, 1962), [[Catch My Soul]] (USA, 1974), [[O (film)|O]] (USA, 2001), [[Omkara (2006 film)|Omkara]] (India, 2006), among others.<ref name="ocr.org.uk"/>

Shakespearean experts consider Hrid Majharey as a major film from India that has deftly handled the Shakespearean themes, and have included the movie in their list of Top 10 film adaptations of Shakespeare's works, since 1949. In their own words, "Over the years, Indian cinema has taken his unforgettable characters and resurrected them, making sure that the Shakespearean dynasty multiplies by the dozen. The ten faces we’ve chosen are pukka Shakespeare-wallahs. They have the Bard’s blood flowing through their veins. Together, they just prove one thing – when anything from Stratford gets stratified in India, the result is always A-one." The list includes classics like [[Ganasundari Katha]] (1949), [[Angoor (1982 film)|Angoor]] (1982), [[Kannaki]] (2001), and [[Maqbool]] (2003), among others.<ref name="FilmCompanion"/>

The film was the focus in the 'Bengali Shakespeares' Chapter at an international conference titled 'Indian Shakespeares on Screen' jointly held by the [[British Film Institute]] and [[The University of London]] in April 2016 in London to mark 400 years of the Bard's demise.<ref name="Shakespeare and Contemporary Bengali Cinema"/>

Vidura magazine, published by [[Press Institute of India]], featured ''Hrid Majharey'' in their October–December 2016 edition, three years after its theatrical release.<ref name="A Bengali adaptation of Othello catches the eye">{{cite web |url=http://www.pressinstitute.in/a-bengali-adaptation-of-othello-catches-the-eye/|title=A Bengali adaptation of Othello catches the eye}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==

The soundtrack has music composed by [[Mayookh Bhaumik]], with lyrics by [[Kaushik Ganguly]] and Prasenjit Mukherjee. The music was released on 1 July 2014.

{{Track listing
| extra_column = Performer(s)
| title1 = Emni Korey | extra1 = [[Kinjal Chattopadhyay]] | lyrics1 = Prasenjit Mukherjee | length1 = 4:17
| title2 = Jaa Urey | extra2 = [[Kaushiki Chakrabarty]] | lyrics2 = [[Kaushik Ganguly]] | length2 = 3:04
| title3 = Dekhechhi Roop Shagorey | extra3 = [[Rajib Das]], Ishita Chakravarty (vocals) | lyrics3 = [[Traditional Folk]] | length3 = 5:10
| title4 = Tomaay Hrid Majharey Rakhibo | extra4 = Zeenia Roy | lyrics4 = [[Traditional Folk]] | length4 = 5:50
| title5 = Hrid Majharey Theme | extra5 = Instrumental | lyrics5 = Instrumental | length5 = 4:07
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|id=3867556}}

[[Category:Indian romantic drama films]]
[[Category:2010s Bengali-language films]]
[[Category:2014 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Bengali-language films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]

Hrid Majharey - Revision history

CleanupBot at 08:30, 2 July 2021