The other side of reality...

The syllables of the word ‘Araby’ were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated’—Mithi’s search for 15 Park Avenue echoed the same words which Joyce had heard years back in Araby. A search which started from the cobweb of Miss Violet Stoneham in 36 chowringhee lane took a different turn in 15 Park Avenue.
The film portrays the world of mentally challenged people and once more echoes the theory of relativity that what might be true to them can be a mere hallucination to us and vice versa . It depends on individual view points of how we look at things and reinstates the fact of alternative reality—it puts a big question on reality itself.
Aparna Sen’s film explores the unreal yet the very true and hard hitting reality of Mithi’s world which can easily be avoided or escaped by dumping it off as a mere hallucination.
The film takes us deep into Mithi’s life -a world where this 27 year old feels that she has a family of her own in 15 Park Avenue where she lives with her children and her husband Jojo (Rahul Bose).
Mithi’s assignment as a journalist in Bihar turns her life completely topsy turvy. Raped by the local goons Mithi is left to recuperate back in Calcutta and now the mental illness slowly starts taking a toll on her.
Joy deep on the other hand is quite unlike the quintessential Bollywood hero and Mithi is just a raped victim for him and he feels pity for her and finally just as the archetypal chauvinistic man he escapes, gets married to someone else. Yet eleven years later Mithi’s condition arouses the guilty feeling in this man. But then Mithi fails to recognize this man as he has no resemblance to Mithi’s Jojo.
As the film unfolds we get a glimpse of the Mathur family where Mithi is the young sister, the elder one is Anjali. Her responsibility has made her attain the role of a dictator. She is forced to abandon her priorities and dedicate herself to the well being of the family.

Sen points out that though Indian families always prefer a male heir in the family yet it’s the woman who shoulders the obligations putting aside their own desires. Anjali throughout the film is dominating and misunderstood and finally she finds a friend in Mithi’s psychiatrist who fills the void in her life.

The journey ends with Mithi’s search finally coming to an end in 15 Park Avenue and the film ends on a surrealistic note leaving most of the audiences dumbfounded and yet thoughtful.
Just like Sen’s films this film explores the world of surreal. The film even portrays that reality is a concept and is viewed in different ways.

From 36 Chowringhhee’s Anglo Indian community life to Paroma’s search for the journey which she dreamt takes a turn in Mithi’s world trying to reinstate the endless search. We are lost in this search for our 15 Park Avenue and the film reiterates the fact once more that we all are looking for something which we hardly get.

The cast not only included notable names but they did justice to their respective roles with Konkona’s performance that is not only praiseworthy but leaves the audience speechless. It’s high time the audiences should think rather than just make the multiplexes and movie halls a place to sit chat date and forget!