''Hemlock Society'' is an Indian

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

romantic

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

released on 22 June 2012, directed by Srijit Mukherji, who is also the director of ''

Autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...

'' and '' Baishe Srabon''. The film's cast consists of

Parambrata Chatterjee Parambrata Chattopadhyay (born 27 June 1980) is an Indian actor and director. Parambrata started his career with Bengali television and films. He has acted as the fictional character Topshe from Feluda under Sandip Ray's direction. He made his ...

Koel Mallick Koel Mallick (born Rukmini Mallick on 28 April 1982) is an Indian actress who appears in Bengali films. She is the daughter of actor Ranjit Mallick and Deepa Mallick. She made her film debut in ''Nater Guru'' (2003). Early life and education ...

, and Soumitra Chatterjee. The name is inspired by the erstwhile

Hemlock Society The Hemlock Society (sometimes called Hemlock Society USA) was an American right-to-die and assisted suicide advocacy organization which existed from 1980 to 2003. It was co-founded in Santa Monica, California by British author and activi ...

, a society which was based in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

, US. The primary missions of this society included providing information to dying persons and supporting legislation permitting

physician-assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...

. The movie was remade in Marathi in 2015 as ''

Welcome Zindagi ''Welcome Zindagi'' (Marathi: वेलकम जिंदगी) is a Marathi language film. The film is a dark comedy about a girl who wants to end it all, and a boy who will change her perception of life. The movie is a dark comedy about life ...

''.

Plot

The movie is a very strong insight into psychological dilemma about the primal existence of life. It reiterates the fact that you can 'shock someone by letting them know that death is impending and inescapable.’ It is a dark comedy which successfully evokes an awareness of life. The comic element is used dexterously to bring out the fear of death. The protagonist Meghna (Koel Mallick), misses her mother, hums the songs of her favorite Sidhartha Roy numbers, blames the new lady in her father’s life, shaken by the dejection by her fiancé. Yet, as an escape route from the world of pain and suffering she goes to her father doctor to get prescribed sleeping pills. Ananda Kar ( Parambrata) as the name suggests ‘make merry’ refrains her from ending her life. He comes with an unusual proposal of imparting her technical know how about committing suicide. He adds 'the training will save you from embarrassment if suicide becomes a vain attempt'. Ananda Kar is the founder of the Hemlock Society, that teaches aspirants how to successfully commit suicide. The names of the professors are also significant of the tricks they will teach to execute the end. The society is a film studio. Meghna assembles with all other suicide aspirants being addressed by the over-enthusiastic professors, ''trainlet, jhulan, dhamani, raktim, shikha'', all specialists in different suicide methods. Meghna goes with him, leaving a goodbye message for her parents at her apartment door. Dr. Basu comes in search of his daughter, finds the note and shatters in grievance. Dr. Basu and Niharika start their search for Meghna and almost leave no stone unturned. Meanwhile, at Hemlock Society, Meghna encounters with miscellaneous experiences related to humans lives and death. The three-day workshop at the society makes her understand the importance of life and what difference her loss would mean to her near and dear ones. The metamorphosis of Meghna occurs when she realizes the miseries of other inmates and considers herself lucky. On the final day, Meghna confesses to Ananda that she wants to live and a vital reason which worked behind her changing of mind is that she had fallen in love with Ananda. Ananda informs her that he is suffering from 'Lymphocytopenia' a medical condition for which he would survive only for two more years. Meghna leaves Hemlock Society, sobbing and returns to her father. The very thought that someone near the cradle of death can ‘drink life to the lees’ in spite of complain and regret, surprises her. She learns from Ananda, that Hemlock society is an institute that refrains people from ending their life by making them aware of the importance of life. Six months later, Meghna reconciles with Ananda while he is on a nursing home bed, after having a blood-transfusion. The film ends with a witty note where Meghna's fiancé (

Saheb Chatterjee Shaheb Chatterjee ( bn, সাহেব চ্যাটার্জী) is a Bengali Indian male actor and singer of Tollywood Bangla and Bengali television. Shaheb Chatterjee is a Bengali Indian male actor and singer of Tollywood Bangla and ...

), now a dejected soul and undoubtedly suicide aspirant, being taken to 'Hemlock Society'.

Cast

as Meghna Sarkar *

as Ananda Kar *

Roopa Ganguly Roopa Ganguly is an Indian actress, playback singer and politician. She is best known for her portrayal of Draupadi in B R Chopra's hit television series '' Mahabharat''. Often promoted as the Tollywood's answer to Bollywood's Shabana Azmi, s ...

as Niharika Basu (Meghna's Step Mother) *

Deepankar De Dipankar Dey ( bn, দীপঙ্কর দে) (born 5 July 1944) is an Indian actor in the Bengali film industry. He has worked in many movies as hero, villain and character artist. He starred in Ray's ''Jana Aranya'' (''The Middleman'', 1 ...

as Dr. Chittaranjan Basu (Meghna's Father) * Reeta Basu Meghna's Mother *

Silajit Majumder Silajit Majumder ( bn, শিলাজিৎ মজুমদার, born 9 October 1965), first name also spelled ''Shilajit'', is an Indian Bengali male singer songwriter and actor from Kolkata. He is mostly credited by his first name. As an ac ...

as Siddhartha Roy, the Singer *

as Shantanu *

Anindita Bose Anindita Bose is an Indian actress in Bengali-language film and television. She started her acting career in television and then moved to the big screen. In 2012 she acted in the film '' Bhooter Baari''. Career Bose started her acting career ...

as Shreya *

Biswajit Chakraborty Biswajit Chakraborty, (born 29 October 1948) is an Indian film actor who appears predominantly in Bengali movies. He was born in Kolkata, West Bengal. His debut movie was '' Sunya Theke Suru'' directed by Ashoke Viswanathan. He has acted in more ...

as Police Officer * Soumitra Chatterjee as Colonel Samaresh Bagchi (guest appearance) *

Sabitri Chatterjee Sabitri Chatterjee (born 22 February 1937) is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali theatre and cinema. Her career spans more than 60 years. She is the recipient of BFJA Awards for two times. In 1999, she was conferred with Sa ...

as Jhulon Gupto (guest appearance) *

Sabyasachi Chakrabarty Sabyasachi Chakrabarty is an Indian actor of theatre, films and television. He is best known for portraying iconic Bengali detective characters, Feluda, and Kakababu. Personal life His parents, Jagadish Chandra Chakrabarty and Monica Chakrabar ...

as Dhomoni Ghosh (guest appearance) * Srijit Mukherji as Doyal Khashnobish (guest appearance) *

Bratya Basu Bratyabrata Basu Roy Chowdhury (born 25 September 1969),Bratya Basu(collected plays), Ananda Publishers, 2004 also known as Bratya Basu, is an Indian actor, stage director, playwright, film director, professor and a politician who is serving a ...

as Raktim Ganguly (guest appearance) *

Barun Chanda Barun Chanda is an Indian Bengali advertising professional, actor and author based in the city of Kolkata. He is mostly remembered for his role in Satyajit Ray's '' Seemabaddha''. Biography Chanda was born in Dhaka in present day Bangladesh, ...

as Trenlet Biswas (guest appearance) * Raj Chakraborty as Setu Venkataraman (guest appearance) * Indranath Mukherjee as the effeminate history professor *

Akshay Kapoor Akshay Kapoor (born: Swapnil Gohil) (born 18 September 1980) is an Indian actor. Biography Akshay was born on 18 September 1980 in India and immigrated to the United States when he was 6 months old. He spent his childhood and teens in Pittsgr ...

as Invigilator/ Sign Language Interpreter * Reetabrata Ghosh as

Gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...

case *

Sudeshna Roy Sudeshna Roy is an Indian film director, actor and writer based in Tollywood. She started her career as an entertainment journalist before collaborating with the director Abhijit Guha and foraying into the film industry. She is a popular art ...

as Shikha Dhor (guest appearance) * Sohag Sen as Miss Cella Neous (guest appearance) *

Priyanka Sarkar Priyanka Sarkar is an Indian film and television actress who mosty works in Bengali films. Her first successful film was ''Chirodini Tumi Je Amar'' (2008) directed by Raj Chakraborty. She was married to actor Rahul Banerjee. Filmography Tel ...

as Hiya (guest appearance) * Jeet in a (special appearance)

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed Anupam Roy and

Indraadip Dasgupta Indraadip Dasgupta (born 17 January 1973) is an Indian composer whose range of music is well known in various Bengali Films. In 2017 he worked with Anu Malik in '' Begum Jaan'', composed the film background music . Film director Music d ...

Reception and Awards

The film received generally positive reviews by critics. Parambrata Chatterjee's performance was critically applauded, as was Koel Mullik's. It has received 21 awards till now. Srijit Mukherji and Koel Mallick got the Shoilojanando Mukherjee Memorial Awards for Direction and Acting respectively. Parambrata Chatterjee received the Anandalok Award for Best Actor, while Anupam Roy got the Anandalok Award for the Best Song (Ekhon Onek Raat). At the Mirchi Music Awards 2013, it got the Best Album and Best Song (Ekhon Onek Raat) in the Listener's Choice category as well as the Best Male Playback for Rupankar Bagchi for Aamar Mawte. At the 13th Telecine Awards, it got Parambrata Chatterjee the Special Jury Award for acting, and Anupam Roy, the Best Lyricist Award. It also got the Best Movie Poster at the Srijon Shawmman 2013. At the Bengal Youth Awards 2013, Srijit Mukherji and Anupam Roy got the Best Director and the Best Music Director Awards respectively. Anupam Roy also got the Best Male Playback for Ekhon Onek Raat in the ETV Shongeet Shawmman 2013. It also got the prestigious

BFJA Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India, founded in 1937 to serve the developing film journalism ...

award, the oldest film award in India, for Best Actress, Best Actor (Jury's choice), Best Male Playback, Best Female Playback (Female) and Best Art Direction. It also fetched the Zee Banglar Gourab Samman for Anupam Roy for Best Lyricist and Male Playback for Ekhon Onek Raat and Best Actress for Koel Mullick.

Remake

Umesh Ghadge, who has previously worked as an associate director on films like ''Dhoom'' and ''

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai ''Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'' is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language gangster film written by Rajat Arora and directed by Milan Luthria. It stars Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai and Randeep Hooda. Produced by Ekta Kapoor u ...

'', remade the film as ''

'' in Marathi.

Urmila Matondkar Urmila Matondkar (born 4 February 1974) is an Indian actress and politician. Known for her work primarily in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Tamil films, she has received numerous accolades, including the Filmfar ...

had been approached for Koel's role, and

Atul Kulkarni Atul Kulkarni (born 10 September 1965) is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, English, Odia and Telugu language films. Kulkarni won the National Award for the Best Supporting A ...

, was offered Parambrata's role, however he turned down the project despite taking an immense liking to the script. The titular roles are finally being played by

Amruta Khanvilkar Amruta Khanvilkar (born 23 November 1984) is an Indian film and television actress. She primarily works in Hindi and Marathi films. Khanvilkar aspired to be a film actress from an early age and began her career as a contestant on India's Best ...

and Swapnil Joshi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemlock Society Films set in Kolkata Indian romantic comedy-drama films Bengali films remade in other languages Films scored by Anupam Roy Films scored by Indradeep Dasgupta Films directed by Srijit Mukherji Bengali-language Indian films 2010s Bengali-language films