Once Upon a Time in Calcutta

Ela is a former television star and the illegitimate daughter of a rich man who owned a big house, a house Ela could not inherit because her half-brother Bubu is still mad about his father’s affair. Raja is the son of an employee of Ela’s father who starts working for a shady urban development project. Ela and Raja go way back, because Raja also worked for Ela’s father. They try to revive their relationship, but soon Raja turns out to be a fraud.

The film is full of romantic twists, where each character seems to have a secret affaire. At the same time, it is a fierce criticism of the way those in power handle the city and a rejection of the corruption in urban services. Because of this, the film is rather unsentimental, but in spite of the critical tone, it is also an tribute to the ever changing Calcutta, a city of at least fifteen million. At the beginning you read that the film is based on true events and that all the characters are inspired by real people. The result is a colourful, layered film, where the camera was wielded by the Turkish Gokhan Tiryaki, who has collaborated a lot with Nuri Bilge Ceylan, for example for ‘Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’.