Story Line

The story is set in the 1960s and 1970s when India fought two major battles, one with Pakistan in 1971 and the other one with a deadly disease called Cholera. It starts in 1962 in Calcutta when our protagonists Ronobir Chatterjee, Kusum Ganguly and Ratan Bagchi joins Calcutta’s most respected medical college. Ronobir Chatterjee is an arrogant and flamboyant Casanova, while Kusum Ganguly is a nerd, a gullible girl with firm and strong goals who is the only female MBBS student in the college but falls for the bad boy and Ratan is interested in Kusum but unfortunately is friend-zoned by her. Ronobir impregnates Kusum and breaks her heart by leaving for London to marry Sujata on the day they are supposed to abort the child. After 9 years when they cross path again, the complex emotions ignite between them when Kusum is about to get engaged to her childhood friend Dr. Ratan. At this time Ronobir has already lost Sujata to Cholera and as a changed man he is back to Calcutta to help epidemic patients. Kusum gets captured as a prisoner of war by Pakistan while on the war front to serve the victims. Ronobir and Ratan, both decide to rescue her. Now the question is, will Kusum be able to forgive Ronobir as he claims to be a changed man now?

 

Performances

Karan Kundrra who played the role of Ronobir Chatterjee shines bright and is the soul of the show. He did full justice to his character. Debutante Naghma Rizwan who played the role of Kusum made her screen presence felt and is quite expressive. All the supporting cast also did a fine job in this web period drama.  

Music

The music does full justice to the narrative and songs like “Sukoon Hai Hawa Mein”, “Ekla Chalo Re” and “Pyar Tujhse Behisaab” binds the story together. The background music is quite melodious and helps in bringing out the romance and chemistry between the lead duo. 




Review

It happened in Calcutta is a love saga that beautifully portrays true love, betrayal, change of heart and forgiveness. This series set in the 1960s-70s in the beautiful city of Calcutta depicting the romantic drama between the charming Casanova, Ronobir and the timid Kusum evokes that retro feel via everything be it the music, characters, attire or parties. We loved the modern interpretation of ‘retro’ in this series as there are many aspects that felt modern when compared to the timeline of the show. The medical college environment created in this series is no less than a Karan Johar film with fancy cars, clothes and bling. Unabashed discussions about sex, the open flirting and kissing in front of a huge crowd are something that made it more relevant for today’s younger audience.

This series is certainly more than just a love saga which will leave the viewers with mixed emotions especially when Ronobir and Kusum meet after nine years. The cast of the series steals the show with their brilliant performances. This one definitely is a well-carved love story set amidst the war and epidemic of the 1960s-1970s. We love the way the director, Ken Ghosh depicts the whole plot which has a backdrop of Indo Pak war, Cholera and Naxal movement onto the screen as a gripping visual spectacle. The story by Joyeeta Chatterjee deserves all the appreciation for turning the whole concept into a love saga.    

Final Word

Overall ‘It Happened In Calcutta’ is worth a watch as it beautifully describes true love and how it passes the test of time and remains unchanged even during the time of epidemic and war. You can check out this ZEE5 original series here   

 

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