After playing cops in Shiboprosad Mukherjee-Nandita Roy’s hit film Raktabeej last year, Abir Chatterjee and Mimi Chakraborty have returned to the screen as a romantic couple in Premendu Bikash Chaki’s Alaap.
Generously sprinkled with humour, Alaap is a breezy romantic drama that plays around the comedy of errors trope. The story revolves around Pablo Majumder (Abir Chatterjee), aka PM, an employee at an IT firm who must move out of his shared apartment as his flatmate is set to get married.
Aditi Mitra (Mimi Chakraborty), alias AM, a smart young woman working at another IT firm, has to commute 20km daily to her office, thus often reporting late for work. With her job on the line, Aditi is desperately looking for a place to stay that’s closer to her office.
Pablo finds another shared accommodation but this time, unbeknownst to him, his flatmate is a woman. The building’s caretaker has worked out an arrangement where both Pablo and Aditi can use the flat without ever crossing paths, owing to their work schedules — one works night shifts, the other does day shifts. Despite not knowing each other, Pablo and Aditi create a harmonious space, sharing meals, newspapers, and even personal anecdotes — through sticky notes.
When Pablo discovers that his flatmate is a girl, he begins to develop feelings for her but Aditi moves out of the city for another job. Meanwhile, Pablo’s family arranges his marriage with his childhood friend Swatilekha (Swastika Dutta), though he yearns to meet Aditi in person, at least once.
Written by Padmanabha Dasgupta and Chaki, Alaap has a simple-yet-relatable screenplay that keeps you engaged. From Aditi's perpetual tardiness to Pablo’s parents — an endearing but meddling mother and an unassuming father — the characters are people you have met in real life.
The chemistry between Abir and Mimi is spot on though their characters have limited interactions. It is a welcome break to watch Abir play a guy-next-door and not another detective, and he pulls it off with ease. Mimi fits Aditi to the T, a sharp, independent career woman yet uncertain about her romantic aspirations.
Among the supporting cast, Swastika Dutta wins your heart as Swatilekha, whom you cannot help but empathise with when she comes face to face with Aditi. Rohit Gupta brings on the laughs as caretaker Sukhlal, especially in the first half.
Music plays a pivotal role in Alaap, with Anupam Roy's compositions — specially Dibaratrir Kabya sung by Anupam and Lagnajita Chakraborty — accentuating the character dynamics. Prabuddha Banerjee's understated yet impactful background score complements the film’s setting in the bustling Sector V, ensuring a rich visual and auditory experience.
