Nature has been constant and irreplaceable despite the artificial luxuries in this cyber age, and therefore has been personified as our ‘mother’. Amid the bustling urban jungle and digital screen, we, be it through short rambles or literary works of eminent individuals like Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Kalidas, Robert Frost, or William Wordsworth, or through gadgets that translate ultrasonic plant waves into music, have always found avenues to connect with our mother on a deeper level.

Manikbabur Megh (The Cloud and the Man), a film directed by Abhinandan Banerjee, explores the journey of a socially unfit man, going back to nature—where it all began—to uncover the entire existence of life, attaining a pursuit of purity in the process. It will be released in theatres on 12 July this year.

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The film presents a contemplative black-and-white setting that incorporates different contours of genres and emotions, from thriller to horror to romance to tragedy. Apart from the few minimal talkie sequences, the film mostly travels through a silent milieu, a meditative pace, instinctive usage of foley, prop instrumentals, and Indian classical background music—all of it resembling and reflecting the psyche of Manikbabu himself.

The film casts Chandan Sen as Manikbabu, alongside other characters portrayed by Bratya Basu, Debesh Roy Chowdhury, Nemai Ghosh and Arun Guhathakurta.

“I specifically chose the element of cloud away from the other elements of nature. With the rise of AI, we have gradually drifted away from conscious living to virtual reality. What if we had a companion who was a totem of nature? A cloud can be considered as one. It is lifeless, but it can be full of life if we consider its ability to move and change its shape and appearance, much like humans,” says Banerjee to the Statesman.

The film has been featured at 38 film festivals, including the Edinburgh Film Festival and Kolkata International Film Festival, received 14 awards and nominations, and premiered on five continents. It has also been honoured with awards for Best Asian Film (NETPAC) and Best Experimental Film (FICMARC, Venezuela).

The trailer for the film was launched on 26 June this year, along with actor Anirban Bhattacharya’s newly-released song, Tomar Aamar Golpo Hoto Jodi, to honour the film.

The song incorporates a black-and-white video, much like the film, in its thematic depth and seriousness.