Konttho trailer: Portrays anguish of helpless voice artiste, but also gives away much of the film

The trailer of Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy’s upcoming film Konttho (Throat) depicts the helplessness of an artiste at his weakest moments and, also, how the helplessness eventually makes him desperate enough to overcome all obstacles in his path. In short, the trailer captures the essence of the inspiring journey of protagonist RJ Arjun Mullick.

In the beginning of the trailer, Jaya Ahsan surprises everyone as she burps loudly in a crowded café and asks Arjun (Shiboprosad Mukherjee) to do the same. Thereafter the trailer begins to narrate the journey of Arjun, who is seen entertaining the listeners of his FM channel with his charming voice and soothing words.

The crisis of the artiste begins as he receives the award for best voice artiste and, to everyone’s surprise, comes up with a hoarse voice while making a speech at the ceremony. His worst nightmare has come true. Arjun is diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and his voice box has to be removed.

Devastated and depressed, Arjun, for whom his voice was his dearest instrument, refuses to communicate with people in a hoarse voice. Ashamed, he begins to move around with a board hanging from his neck, writing down whatever he needs to convey. His wife (Paoli Dam) becomes the victim of all his frustrations. Arjun, unable to express himself, often gets violent with his poor son.

However, a voice therapist (Ahsan) comes to his rescue and shows him a new path. She begins to encourage him to speak with his pharynx, a technique used by some people who lose their voices in a similar manner.

Earlier, the film's poster, featuring Arjun as the iconic Bhooter Raja from Satyajit Ray’s Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969), had caused some intrigue. The ending of the trailer provides an explanation. Arjun is seen in the avatar of the Bhooter Raja, who was given a hoarse and unnatural voice as a ghost, entertaining people as a voice artiste with the enthusiasm of his early days, having overcome all his hurdles.

The trailer is most appealing in the sequences in which it portrays realistically the helplessness and anguish of one losing the most natural and comfortable tool to express oneself and communicate with others. The tension in those moments makes the trailer both disturbing and full of promise.

While Jaya Ahsan’s character seems to have a lot more surprising elements to offer through the narrative, Paoli Dam's appears to be a character of utmost strength and patience.

The only negative aspect about the trailer is that it doesn’t seem to leave much to anticipate for the audience, as it offers almost the protagonist's entire journey in a nutshell. However, the audience might have to wait for the entire song by Anupam Roy of which only a few lines are heard in the trailer.

Konttho is slated for release on 10 May. Watch the trailer below and let us know if you are keen to watch the film.