Labour of Love (2014) User Reviews

A movie that teaches us the value of love, teaches us how a couple can manage to find love in adverse circumstances in an age bereft of divorces

[sourangshuroy · 9/10 · 6 July 2015]

A movie that teaches us the value of love, teaches us how a couple can manage to find love in adverse circumstances in an age where we file divorces even if our food habits do not match.

In this age where love is rare and relationships do not last a year, the movie is like a commandment sent via the hands of this new director on block. This is a movie that doesn't tell a new story but stays with you many days after you have watched it, like the advice you got from your father in your childhood but never cared to take them seriously.

The movie spans for a single day, but tells the story of a lifetime. A story where both the husband and wife works but in opposite shifts of a day, and find time for each other only for five minutes in the whole day when the husband returns from work and the wife has to leave for her workplace. This precious five minutes (captured splendidly on screen like) seem like a beautiful dream to them, in the otherwise sordid and solitary routine of their daily life.

Very subdued, very Ray and very good!

[avik-kumar-si · 9/10 · 28 June 2015]

Wow! And Wow! Aditya Vikram Sengupta's Asha Jaoar Majhe (English title: Labour of Love) is a cinema that grows on you - slowly, steadily and with love. It creeps up to you and snuggles close to your heart. And you embrace it with all you have, knowing it appeals to what's best in you and embracing it will help to keep that part of you alive.

Labour of Love is about a couple in Kolkata's version of apocalyptic world, a city under recession where a lower-middle class couple works complementary shifts to make ends meet. They re-count the notes after withdrawing money from the bank, reuse resources whenever possible and live a simple life of values. Most of their days are spent in a kind of suspended animation, waiting to flicker to life for a little reward at the end. It's about biding your time for that small window, an experience that the director makes the audience feel and experience. There isn't a soundtrack (mostly), as the film refuses to make things easier for the audience. There are no yardsticks to measure a perfect life and the film tellingly explores this point. The story is about love, shredded down to its essentials. As Henry David Thoreau had famously remarked about a stint of simple living in the woods, "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms." Labour of Love is love's Henry David Thoreau Test. It's not much use gushing about the sound-scape, Sengupta's attention to details and continuity and the two actors' near-perfect performances, as this is an experience that needs experiencing. Talking of Ritwick Chakraborty, his purple patch continues. If forgetting about the camera is the hallmark of accomplishment, he is now an accomplished actor.

One could argue that Sengupta uses the recession of emotions to manipulate us, hoarding events (just as an union leader complains that the management is using the recession to fatten purses) to accentuate the effect at the end, so you know how precious that smile feels. One could argue that having no dialogues at all is a gimmick, as some cellphone conversation could have taken place within the bounds of the couple's tight budget and unusual routine and circumstances. Even if these hold true, plaudits to Aditya Vikram Sengupta for even attempting what he has. Asha Jawar Majhe scores full marks for effort and he will leave cinephiles in Kolkata, and (judging by the number of awards he has bagged globally) elsewhere too, waiting for his next offering.

A marvelous sculpture of celluloid. A must see for movie lovers

[pranoy333 · 9/10 · 18 July 2017]

'Asha jaoar majhe' (Labour of love) was not only a mesmerizing cinematic experience, it was like watching a poetry written by a camera. This film just put a whole new dimension of Bengali art-house cinema. A eighty-minute film without any words didn't surprise me, what surprised me was that I merely felt its absence. Director Aditya Bikram Sengupta's this celluloid sculpture has shown that visual storytelling is not only just a modulating factor, it can stand on its own. This film also pointed out that to depict that level of detailing you have to be honest with your story. Talking about acting, their (Basabdatta and Ritwik) hardest job was to not "act". That's why the whole movie was like I was following and observing two people. Though the film was about disappointment and despair of daily life, it also gave us a optimistic perspective at the end.

A glimpse of hope for which we keep on fighting ; shockingly beautiful

[ritzb86 · 1 July 2015]

Many of us, specifically people of Bengal residing out of Bengal , are in a habit of crying out loud most of the time saying "Ei Bangalir dwara ar kissu hobe na [ Nothing good ll happen by these Bongs ]". But then something like this happens and you start wondering - would it be possible by any other person apart from a Bengali !? I have my doubts.

"Labour of love" or "Asha Jawar Majhe" - it is nowhere close to the very idea of film that we usually have in our mind. The 84 min journey is mundane,monotonous,banal in all its senses - but then you ll realize it is just depicting a single day of our very own life which itself is of the same nature.

This film has only two characters and none of them has a single dialogue. Because conversation is not mandatory to capture neither the repetitiveness of our daily chores nor those few special moments [ a window - one can say here ] for which we gather the energy to complete our hackneyed routine.

The level of detail of this film - I could not recall a single colored Bengali film which have the same. When the camera unusually zooms in and lingers over the seemingly insignificant things - the cracked wall, the sunset, the clothesline, the revolving cycle - it surely test viewer's patience but also tells a story - a story where everyone of us is fighting our daily battle to survive ; Sorry , not "to survive" , but "to love". The whole slow-pace was just an intriguingly exquisite build-up for the last 5 poetic min, where we comes to realize that - yes, to cherish just a few moments of love, we are being able to continue our vapid journey; we are ready to be a "Labour of Love".

Aditya Vikram Sengupta - What have you created!!!!

NOTE: Not in a mood to go into the insipid details of direction,camera,cinematography,sound or acting cause if all these have not been perfect, THIS experience wouldn't have been created at the very first place.

Worth watching if you love good cinema

[mayukhpanja · 10/10 · 28 June 2015]

The movie tests your patience a lot, and at times you wonder whether anything is going to happen at all, and perhaps that is the exact reaction the director wants to evoke from his audience. The pacing is slow, there are no dialogues , the story is told through background noise and unbelievably accurate shots of two people doing monotonous household chores. The camera-work is intriguing, unusual and beautiful in general- the camera often zooms in and lingers for a while on seemingly mundane things that are generally not highlighted on the big screen - soap bubbles in a bucket, a rooftop antenna , the clothesline .. And all this obsession with detail, the slow pacing , the impassive faces suddenly make sense in the last 5 minutes. The entire movie is a buildup for the ending, which is beautiful . It makes you want to watch the movie all over again.

A poignant poetry amidst a jungle of concrete

[royrik · 8/10 · 20 July 2015]

"Asha Jawar Majhe" or "Labour of Love" is as much an ode to a recession hit Calcutta as much it is an eulogy of the rigors in a lower middle class couple's struggle for existence,yet united by love for few treasured moments in a day. The film is exclusively a silent film, yet more eloquent than any of its recent contemporaries. The brilliance and scale of the film can only be matched in recent times by a "Ship of Theseus" and rightfully it has won accolades over the International Festivals.

The viewer who goes in search of a story will be thoroughly disappointed as this is just a portrayal of a day in the life of this struggling couple essayed beautifully by Ritwick and Basabdutta, both working in alternate shifts to make their ends meet. But they are not love-lost, as they wait with honed self control and relentless patience for the early morning hours of union,when he returns from work and she is about to set out to. The "labour of love" is thus not fruitless, but is the strong bond that ties this couple,estranged for most of the day,owing to a debilitating economy.

It is totally a Director's film,executed brilliantly by the helmsman Aditya Vikram Sengupta, as his camera pans the North Calcutta suburbs, reminiscent of erstwhile opulence,yet now symbolic of a moribund state,through a poet's eye. Kudos to him for handling the plot with such sensitivity , as even the director had to undergo a Labour of Film Making to make his first film. The use of light and shadow reminds of Ray's "Aporajito" and the sound arrangement is nothing short of brilliant. But there are certain unexplained jump cuts and long stills too, flaws which doesn't remain with the viewer after the wonderful ending of the film. Ritwick has indeed become the "Irrfan Khan" of Tollywood in recent times and no one could play this role more convincingly.The vacant stare, the unhurried way he carries out his daily mundane routine, and yet the wait for the Golden moments of the day underplaying in his eyes is brilliant. He shows that one can portray despair without a sigh. Basabdutta complements him on all grounds. A final word for the sound arrangement as the film would have been incomplete without its brilliant execution,specially when there's no dialogue. It is a must watch for cine enthusiasts,poets and others who have an ebbing poet in them amidst the harsh realities of life. Looking forward to more such classics from the director in future.

Beyond Words

[anubhav-buba · 10/10 · 13 March 2017]

A beautiful Creation above any antagonism, no words can describe this Gem of Indian cinema. The inspiration and dedication of Aditya Vikram Sengupta reflects in every aspect of this movie. The inception and salutation music creates a heart-melting feeling which stays long after ending. A must watch. No more words. PS: Don't know why but an impression of Satyajit Ray's movie was very much visible.

One of the finest cinema, I have watched lately.

[anishk-85830 · 9/10 · 22 September 2017]

The movie is pretty brilliantly directed, the first half of the movie actually sets the stage for the second half. It highlights the life of a common man in the suburbs of Kolkata, though the movie doesn't have any dialogues but it speaks thousands of words. Both the male and the female protagonist act exemplarily well.

A saga of love in the banks of a stagnant city

[titashu · 7/10 · 6 February 2016]

A crafted yet realistic tale of a couple from once the city of joy, how they struggle to make both ends meet yet keep the incense of love burning bright. The man is a wage earner, working in wee hours in a newspaper printing press, while the woman works in a packaging factory. Keeping aside the professional duties, both also duly performs the household activities individually , yet in a well-knitted process(the women as in any Indian society bends a bit more in that). The editing, direction and lighting is majestically elegant. Then comes the moment when both meet, even though briefly but divine love takes them to a dream canvas. How the director slowly retrieves the reality is majestic!, another moment worth mentioning the nervousness of the lady, while the man handles the work hazards.Great job!

awesome movie,

[rangeetbhattacharyya · 10/10 · 9 December 2018]

An awesome script executed with very sensible screenplay and direction. This is a true art film true to the term "art". acting is brilliant, along with all other technicalities .

Slow but sensitive

[gspregio · 6/10 · 25 May 2020]

Good visuals with slow pace. Just a day in the life of a couple who hardly meet in person but communicate through household things. How life is lost in everyday mundane chores. Need patience to sit through the film.

Dialogue less Gem

[khayaldave · 9/10 · 4 April 2020]

In this dialogue less movie, Aditya Sengupta depicts grim condition and awkward work shifts of a married couple. In this 74 minutes film everything is visually narrated with precision from the beautiful yet crowded back lanes of Kolkata to their struggle. "There is an internal beauty in silence": Asha Jaoar Majhe definitely symbolizes that. Asha Jaoar Majhe won two national awards in 2014. The film is available on Prime Video. Also watch Aditya's another minimal gem "Jonaki" on Netflix.

Too Slow though beautiful

[mailbox-msb · 5/10 · 17 April 2020]

World is moving fast, very fast. Even a recession is being follwed by next recession. It should be better if it was within 30 mins of duration.

It moves me. Art is supposed to be like that.

[rupak-rghosh-ghosh19 · 10/10 · 24 January 2020]

A movie demands a lot from the actors if the entire movie is with two characters and not a single dialogue. Aditya Vikram Sengupta delivers it perfectly as I never really felt that something was to be told at any point. Slow paced screenplay with a similar old kolkata backdrop backed with the brilliant cinematography. It is a must watch.

Microcosmic view of Kolkata

[gnandan · 9/10 · 6 July 2015]

Often times we hear that movies are reflection of life. But, very few times we get to see movies truly depicting the exhaustion and monotony of life. In fact, the moviegoers don't want, neither do they expect it because it eat into their daily life; thus they go to movie theater to have fun, to feel elated and start afresh next day. However, "Asha Jaoar Majhe" is an exception. It lyrically (through sounds in environs) narrates you how exhausted and monotonous the life is in Kolkata. Indeed, it makes you feel exhausted and monotonous as you sit in the movie theater. Director has poked into the minute details and mannerism that describe the daily life in Kolkata of middle class people and has offered the viewers a microcosmic picture of it. It will invariably remind you of those who we often forget about amidst the 21st century glittering culture of going-to-mall and shopping-at-Big Bazaar, if not at Shopper's Stop.

An artist's pallet, a mirror you should stand in front of

[hirakfb · 9/10 · 21 January 2017]

It is a true work of art, in the middle of this hurly-burly of city life, where the threads of relationship, love, and commitment are turning into a deal of mere convenience, it will reinstate your faith on personal bonding. A tale of togetherness, never said like this before, yet we all experience it in our daily life. The mighty circle of life, tedious yet enjoyable, because there is a coming back, there is a shelter. Coming back to someone who you longed for. The preciousness of silent presence of someone, event if for a brief moment gives you the desire to live. In this bleak time, when the word "relationship" is slowly turning into the word "affair", this movie reminds us the value of co-existence.

And the music, the thumri (semi-classical songs), khayals (classical) and at the end the dreamy drop of Tilak Komad on shehnai, haven't been so baffled by the musical mind of a director in recent years, among contemporaries I can only think of Wes Anderson.

Long live Aditya Bikram Sengupta

Believe of Bengali movies

[nilabhaalo · 9/10 · 29 April 2020]

I have just watched "Labour of Love".It was just mind-blowing, one of the finest movie which I ever seen so far. The definition of Art film and the believe of bengali cinema cum Indian cinema. I'm going with 9 out of 10. Well done

A Landmark, not only for bengali film but also for Indian Film Industry.

[MandalBros-5 · 10/10 · 26 December 2019]

Watched Asha Jaoar Majhe (Labour of Love) today and I would like to tell everyone that this film is technically brilliant. There are only two characters played by Ritwick Chakraborty and Basabdatta Chatterjee in the film and they have no single dialogues in it. But the two main heros of this film are the Director and cinematographer of the film - Aditya Vikram Sengupta and Mahendra J. Shetty. Every scene is so beautiful. And the background music by Alokananda Dasgupta is so pure and some classic old songs thrown in for a soothing effect. The last 8 minutes of the film will take you to a beautiful world of love. In the last, it's a landmark in Indian Film Industry and A Must Watch for every cine-lovers. It's available in Amazon Prime Video.

KUDOS To The Makers

[RupamGhosh30 · 8/10 · 15 May 2020]

Awesome Camera work with marvelous background score..uff that sehnai!

Asha Jaoar Majhe is a must watch bengali film which was released in the year of 2014.It is a once in a lifetime kind of work that should be supported by film lovers

[ritwikabanerjee · 10/10 · 28 April 2020]

Asha Jaoar Majhe (Labour of Love) directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta opens in a mysterious way. One morning, a woman dressed in a starched, mustard coloured cotton sari walks through narrow lanes of a middle class neighborhood of Kolkata, then boards a tram and finally switches to a bus, where she eats a small piece of cake for breakfast, and eventually completes her long journey. Meanwhile, a man dressed up as if he is ready to go out, drinks tea, then slowly removes his clothes, as he gets ready to take a bath. He washes his dirty clothes, puts on a white kurta pajama and then eats a similar small wrapped piece of cake for breakfast. The mystery resolves as we watch the characters in their parallel lives that intersect for a brief moment in a dream-like sequence that plays towards the end of the film.

And the real surprise -- not a single dialogue is spoken in the film. But dialogues are totally unnecessary. We know what the two characters are thinking, we understand their feelings and actions. The silence in Asha Jaoar Majhe is so calming. But with no dialogues, Asha Jaoar Majhe must have been a dream project for sound designer John. The film is packed with ambiance sounds, street noises -- car horns, tram bells, voices of street hawkers, cats meowing and crows cawing, background radio news programmes, Bengali film songs, a woman taking music lessons and early in the morning, school children singing the Indian national anthem. It is like everyday life in India. These background sounds are such a vital part of anybody who had grown up in India. John and Sengupta present the musicality of life in India with such ease that it practically becomes another character in the film. At times, words are spoken, such as when the man goes out to buy fish from a local market. We see his lips moving, body gestures, but we do not hear any sounds. We are in a very real world and yet not hearing voices does not seem strange. It is a quiet meditative. The camera, handled by Sengupta and Mahendra Shetty, often pans through the house, exploring ordinary household objects -- clothes hanging, kitchen utensils, cooked lunch and dinner in fridge, a household cat who slinks around the wooden four poster bed, table cloth with crochet work and lace curtains flapping, as the ceiling fan is run on a high speed. The film ends with a beautiful shehnai piece that we also hear at the start of the film. The choice of the music makes all the sense as the film ends.

A narrative masterpiece

[nirjharmondal · 9/10 · 24 May 2019]

Asa jaoar majhe is a film of its own kind. The entire film has no dialogue yet it bridged the gap of communication brilliantly using silence and background noises. The film portrayed the minute details of mundane daily life and hardships of a young couple with sublime artsy. The long panning shots depicting their day to day life and their meeting in a dreamy black and white sequence is nothing but spectacular. It's a must watch definitely.

A classic in its own right!

[thirdvantagepoint · 9/10 · 17 September 2017]

#AshaJaoarMajhe completely justifies the supreme appeal and essence of the word 'Chalochitro'... Where the universal language of labor of love is best communicated through the mundane silent chores of daily living... where the small and big pauses during the day would echo so much louder than what a thousand dialogues would have attempted to speak...

Director Aditya Vikram Sengupta's style of film making shows a deep influence of Ray, and the way he stitches together moments significantly apart in the script is a very detailed study on the cycle of longing and pattern that life engulfs us in! There is some brilliant camera work going on here along with a superb audiography, and add to that the absolutely natural and finely measured performances by both Ritwick Chakraborty and Basabdutta Chatterjee, and we see a wonderful lyrical ballad created on celluloid that has no action or event to show but a lot of emotions and feelings to tell...

One may find at times though that the style is being played too heavy and the content could have balanced it to an extent, but I think that the film-maker wanted us to feel exactly that and hits bull's eye with it.. At under ninety minutes, the pace of the motion picture can test you at times if you don't get adjusted to it by the first ten minutes or so.. I am glad that the rhythm synced in with me very quickly and it only amplified from there as one got swept away with the journey of these two characters who have no names, who are just me and you...

#AshaJaoarMajhe #PoetryOnCelluloid #ThirdVantagePoint

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Simple yet Engaging

[pritambag · 10/10 · 13 June 2020]

Few films try to remain simple but the simplicity creates a wonderful atmosphere especially when things are justified through the actions. This film is a perfect example of it. Throughout the movie no dialogues have been spoken but the actions justified that love has no language. First thing which I found great was the performances. Both Basabdatta and Ritwick did not deliver a single dialogue throughout the movie but their on screen expressions made the film beautiful. Secondly, the Cinematography was lit. Panning of the camera just to utilize the shadow sequence was a brilliant idea. Thirdly sound Designing was the main highlight of the film. Utilising realistic sound, retro songs playing on the radio is what highlighted each and every situation beautifully. I personally loved it and would highly highly recommend. Do give it a watch if you want to experience a silent film.

Not Everyone's Cup of Tea!

[SoumikBanerjee1996 · 9/10 · 13 March 2021]

"Asha Jaoar Majhe" delineates striking intimacy between a present-day persevering couplet. Abdicating any sort of colloquy, in a quite euphonious manner; this narrative exemplifies an extraordinary tale that does inhere within every other ordinary human being out there.

Whilst illustrating the Socio-Economical facet of our society, it demonstrates an ethereal anecdote; comprised of adoration, compunction & perpetual compromises. Discarding the conventional form of intercommunication, here the visual mastery tellingly dictates the whole play!

Using the City of Kolkata as its aesthetic backdrop, The Director; Aditya Vikram Sengupta innately flaunts daily chores with prolific exquisiteness. An arresting piece of Cinematography that essays minute details in each individual frame. From the constant chirping of birds to the hustle and bustle of a big city; it transpires a pleasing ambiance worth cherishing.

Starring Ritwick Chakraborty & Basabdatta Chatterjee, two prominent thespians. Their ecstatic portrayal sublimely preserving the charm & beauty of the broad concept. In the meantime bearing an elusive calmness in their characters respectively.

What impresses me the most is the brilliant Sound designing. A nuanced composition that not only insinuates the natural setting around us but also utilizes them in the most effective way. No wonder, it had won several accolades in this particular segment!

As the storytelling itself heavily dependent upon visual craft, there are not enough words to articulate the number of palpable feels I got in here. But be warned, this is not everyone's cup of tea! Only a few would truly appreciate the innermost artistry of such sumptuous sculpture.

One of the best Bengali films of this decade.

[suprabhattacharya · 9/10 · 25 May 2021]

Labour of love(2014) Director-Aditya Vikram Sengupta

Cinematographer-Aditya Vikram Sengupta,Mahendra Setty.

A hypnotic film.