Gumnaami teaser: Prosenjit fails to impress as Netaji

The teaser of Srijit Mukherji’s film Gumnaami presents Prosenjit Chattterjee as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who, according to one version, spent the later days of his life disguised as Gumnaami Baba, an ascetic, in Uttar Pradesh, after he was rumoured to have died in a plane crash in Taiwan in 1945.

From the teaser, Gumnaami seems to parallelly focus on narratives of the aftermath of Netaji’s disappearance and the time period of the Mukherjee Commission that went into his disappearance. While the flashbacks are shown in monochrome, the narrative of contemporary times is in colour.

The teaser begins with Bose speaking of freedom as a birthright that needs to be snatched from the colonial rulers if need be, and taking permission from Gandhiji for his journey abroad. Prosenjit's dialogue delivery seems much too soft for such a bold declaration.

Next, the teaser offers glimpses of the plane crash in which Bose was declared to have died. While on the one hand, Gandhiji seems to be putting his best efforts in preventing Bose’s funeral, believing him to be alive; in a simultaneous narrative, glimpses of investigation into Bose’s death are shown.

The teaser then suggests the depiction of various narratives on Bose’s disappearance that followed, including his possible departure to Russia and a reclusive stay as a monk in Uttar Pradesh. It seems the film is attempting to probe the mystery by bringing together various tales regarding Bose’s disappearance and on the mementos and convictions regarding his stay as Gumnaami Baba.

Prosenjit's performance as Netaji seems forced. The star, given his physical characteristics and general style, does not seem to suit the character of the late Congress leader. The glimpses of the Mukherjee Commission, meanwhile, come across as synthetic, dramatic compositions.

Gumnaami is slated for release this Puja season, in October. Watch the trailer below and let us know how keen you are to watch this film.