Interview (1971) User Reviews

What an innovative way of filmmaking.

[das-diganta-14 · 9/10 · 22 May 2022]

The film tells the story of a young middle class man who is struggling to make it better. He is working at a press and trying to get a better job of an interview which is the main subject of the film. The story unveils as he tries to manage a suit for the interview and gets in all types of trouble.

The film deals with subjects like colonial hangover and unemployment. It shows how a middle class man who is trying his best to make better of his life falls under this faulty and unjust system and ultimately joins the forces of revolution which was regarded by him as disturbance in the first place.

The making of this film is way ahead of its time, may it be the way of story telling, the sequence or the way it is edited. The use of metacinema elements gives an extra push to the impact a viewer gets. The way it is edited is exceptional, the sudden abrupt cuts in the scenes and then playing it again in some other part gives a jerky yet strong effect that adds to the narrative. Some scenes are so well edited that I really wonder how they managed to do that in those time, keeping in mind that everything was analog back then. Music adds an extra flavour to each scenes, strong edgy music are used which fits the topic the film is dealing with. I personally loved the last scene which sums and ultimately gives the conclusion of the film.

One dialogue in the film perfectly defines the film: " You call this as cinema? This is my story, this is your story "

Very entertaining

[iamaditisengupta · 8/10 · 2 June 2021]

An experimental movie by all time legend Mrinal Sen which was ahead of time . This is a meta film . The camera work was excellent . There were several close shots taken in the movie . The story is about a person whose interview will be taken but he can't arrange a proper dress before going to the interview . The film also shows spectacular acting by Ranjit Mullick and other supporting casts . The bgm played an important role in the film . The film shows the problem of a middle class person in a funny and entertaining way . It also shows the situation of Kolkata in early 70s . Overall the movie is very much underrated and I recommend everyone to watch this movie . The film is available on YouTube .

RELATABLE & VERY MUCH ENTERTAINING

[MandalBros-5 · 10/10 · 3 January 2021]

Everyone became crazy after AK Vs AK released and that's the reason we're recommending it today. It is also a meta film and while watching the film you just can't understand whether it's reality or fiction. This is the first film of Sen's Calcutta Trilogy.

The film is very relatable even in today's world. Ranjit Mallick was so charming in his first film. For those who think old films mean boring art film, I'll say this is not at all like that rather a very entertaining film.

See it yourself before judging

[snigdhodeep · 15 May 2013]

I am not a kind of person who follows the abstract Indian movies made decades ago. However I got this movie and the unusual movie title made me watch it.

This movie is based on a day, rather a special day of a middle class Bengali young man in the 70s. He is supposed to appear for an interview with a British Company where he has won the biggest battle, i.e. setting up the interview and building up the internal references. The interview was a mere formality. This job would make him earn more than twice the present salary with added perks. The only thing he needed to crack the interview was a formal suit that makes him fit for the job. Qualifications, knowledge and the individual seemed not that important. In the film, the camera follows him everywhere, covers all the events and activities and it ends in a sad note as this person was not able to arrange the proper uniform for the interview.

Throughout the film we can see people belonging to different occupations, class and mentalities in an ordinary day. It shows how the people are trying to meet their ends just like Ranjit (the protagonist of the film), the only difference is Ranjit is aiming higher. The hoardings in the streets, the advertisements of products everywhere, the conversations of the common people add more meaning and surrealism to this movie. Ranjit's dreams, his commitment to the family, his arrogance even before getting the job, his confidence, his lackluster ways of leading life represent the common people across the decades.

The film ends with an interview by the spectators where Ranjit fails to answer some of the basic questions just like he fails to grab the job.

This film is something that I cannot explain or review, am just taking a chance to present my views. This film shows the director's apathy against the bureaucracy and the laws, rules ideas set by the system. Intelligent symbolisms, use of lights, choice of words make this movie somewhat unique. The movie ends with the scene where Ranjit is ripping off the suits from a mannequin which he came across quite a few times in the movie. I would say people should watch this movie not only to appreciate Mrinal Sen's work but to go through the situations that this fellow went through, and ask themselves whether things have changed in essence with changed subjects of the society.

"And this is meta in a funny way"

[smkbsws · 6/10 · 16 September 2020]

This is a meta film about the frustration of a young man in the city. The different experiences of the interviews he is attending and others on the way to those are the driving the film ahead. And this is meta in a funny way. The hero is breaking the wall randomly and sometimes telling who are actors and who are real in the film. Other than that, the second wonderful thing is about the attire thing which might be a spoiler again. However, this was one of the, latter named, 'Calcutta Trilogy' of Sen showing the restlessness and lack of direction in the lives of young city dwellers in the then big city.