Guldasta review: This predictable film offers nothing to the audience

Arjunn Dutta’s film Guldasta presents the tale of three women who bond over their loneliness. Their lives, however, do not take any drastic turns that would leave the audience unsettled. Instead, viewers are subjected to a certain chapter in their lives from which, sadly, there is hardly anything to take away.

Srirupa (Arpita Pal Chatterjee) and Renu (Debjani Chatterjee) are homemakers who spend time with each other. The lack of happiness in Srirupa’s life is presented as part of her unfortunate reality.

As the trailer had revealed, Renu’s mother-in-law (Chhanda Chatterjee) is plagued by bowel problems and constantly at odds with her drug-addict son (Anubhav Kanjilal). However, the film doesn’t delve deeper into these plot points and, as one can guess on viewing the trailer, Renu has to deal with the mess by herself as her workaholic husband keeps his distance from the family.

Saleswoman Dolly Bagri (Swastika Mukherjee), a vibrant and persuasive middle-aged woman, initially appears as a sort of magician who can fix all the problems in Srirupa and Renu’s lives with products from the fictional Roopcare Company. However, apart from helping Srirupa get a good night’s sleep and the overnight transformation of the drug addict, whose mother’s health improves, none of the magical changes that suddenly occur have a direct connection with the saleswoman.

The 'shocking' revelation of the reality behind Dolly's smiling visage and apparently balanced life could have been predicted from the get-go while the simplistic solutions to Srirupa’s marital complications and to drug addiction not only trivialize the problems, but also prevent the audience from immersing itself in the story.

While Debjani embodies her helplessness well in her body language and her expressions, Mukherjee creates a few engaging moments with her lively presence and eccentric accent. Arpita portrays anxiety well but fails to produce much impact with her one-dimensional performance.

Supratim Bhol’s cinematography does nothing to elevate the lacklustre screenplay. Soumya Rit’s song 'Rang Rasiya' lends the film a few energetic moments; however, a sequence where Srirupa performs the Kathak after a break of several years, to Dolly’s singing, does not bring the desired emotional response.

The film could have been a heart-warming tale of friendships if the director and the writer had focused on detailing the issues plaguing the three leading women. But now the audience might find it hard to relate with the characters as they do not reflect their struggle for a better life.