Antaheen 2009

Antaheen is a 2009 Indian Bengali classic, drama film released on Jan 23, 2009. The film is directed by Aniruddha Raychowdhury.

Abhik has lost faith in real love and relationships and finds solace in virtual world. He develops an online relationship with a young woman Brinda but this relationship remains casual only for a shortwhile and soon becomes intense and serious.

Abhik Chowdhury is an IPS officer with a heart -- honest, upright, yet laidback. Having lost faith in the real relationships that he sees around him, Abhik seeks solace in the virtual world.While navigating through this virtual world, Abhik develops an online relationship with a young woman, without knowing anything about her.

Brinda is a young, dynamic television journalist. She comes from a conventional middle-class home, and her parents live in the Durgapur steel township.  For both Abhik and Brinda, who do not know each other’s real names and whereabouts, this online communication soon becomes an increasingly intense relationship, more real than virtual.

While this relationship blossoms within the confines of two computer screens, Abhik gets his six minutes of fame on national television, when he successfully masterminds a raid on a consignment of illegal arms. Brinda telephones him to ask for an on-camera interview, but Abhik declines, stating that did not want to sensationalize the event any further.

Ironically the virtual lovers, Abhik and Brinda have an acrimonious first meeting in the real world. It happens at the launch of a controversial mega project of the big-time real estate entrepreneur, Vijay Ketan Mehra. Unaware that she knows Abhik so well on the Internet, Brinda, still smarting from Abhik’s refusal, gets into a bitter exchange of words with him. The argument veers to issues like sensationalism and soon enough, it is clear that Brinda and Abhik’s real-life interaction has started off on a sour note. Before leaving in a huff, Brinda overhears a piece of conversation between two men about Mehra’s project. This gives her a lead to a potentially big scoop. 

Ranjan and Paromita, an estranged couple, become the bridge between Brinda and Abhik. Ranjan is Abhik’s cousin, but he is more a friend, philosopher and guide. Ranjan is now a stockmarket addict and leads a lonely life after having separated from Paromita a few years ago. Ranjan is as acutely sensitive and perceptive as he is bitter and cynical on the surface. Paromita (Paro to friends and colleagues), is a senior marketing executive with the channel where Brinda is a colleague and a friend.

For Brinda and Abhik, things take a different turn – from hostility to a grudging interest in each other – when they bump into each other at Ranjan’s birthday party, which is secretly organised as a surprise by Paro. At the party, Brinda and Abhik get to know each other a little better. The mood of the party turns romantic yet poignant with Paro singing Ranjan’s favourite song at his insistence. She has never sung that song ever since she left Ranjan’s home.

In the virtual world of the Internet, Brinda and Abhik’s online chatting continues unabated, even though their identities remain undisclosed.  

Abhik confides in Ranjan that he is probably falling in love, although he does not know with whom. Ranjan warns Abhik with his usual cynicism and reminds him of the perils and pains that often define love. Behind his sardonic comments Abhik gets a glimpse of Ranjan’s sensitivity and loneliness. After hearing his cousin’s advice, Abhik leaves feeling confused yet still not convinced enough to stop falling further in love.

Paro gets a rather lucrative offer from Mumbai. But she is in two minds between upgrading her career and staying back for lost love. As the crisis deepens in her mind, she seeks Ranjan's advice. Although it is bound to intensify his loneliness, Ranjan encourages her to shift to Mumbai. Paro gets confused by Ranjan’s pragmatic, well-meaning advice, as she had hoped and expected him to want her to stay back in the city.

Meanwhile, a series of upsetting events, including Paro's talk about moving to Mumbai and her final break up with her boyfriend, weigh Brinda down. She feels torn between opposite poles of love and friendship. The only thing she can find solace is with her virtual friend, who seems to be her only source of comfort.

At work, Brinda hits a stumbling block while doing an investigative story on V.K Mehra’s El Dorado project. At this point, she turns to Abhik for help. Brinda notices some uncanny similarities between Abhik and her anonymous chat friend, in the way they talk, and in their choice of phrase. Something about Abhik reminds her of her online friend.

As she follows the leads given by Abhik, she manages to get an important interview lined up which can give her the proof she needs to wrap up her story. The night before her interview, a particular phone conversation with Abhik strikes her. She gets onto the net, and tells her chat friend that they should meet.  

But this is a meeting which is not destined to happen as things take an unexpected turn.

•Abhik Choudhury is a top cop who helps in recovering arms from terrorists connected to the Bangalore blast. He leaves with aunt (pishi) Sharmila Tagore (Moni) who is also unmarried like Abhik. He is close to his cousin Rano (Kalyan Roy) a happy go lucky person and his wife Paro (Aparna Sen) a senior official with Star Ananda and they are separated from each other. Abhik becomes close to an anonymous person with whom he chats everyday online after coming back from office. She turns out to be none other Brinda (Radhika Apte), a journalist from Star Ananda who works under Paro. Both of them are very lonely souls and slowly they start confiding in each other and become very close though they never meet and are not aware of each other’s identity. Meanwhile Brinada meets Abhik at a party through Paro. From then on they keep in touch and Abhik even drops Brinda home after a party at Ranoda’s house one day. Brinda gets very emotionally involved with a particular case she is investigating and Abhik warns her not to get so involved. Paro is considering moving to Mumbai as she has got a good offer and this affects Brinda badly. She receives a call from Abhik one day when she is working at night regarding that case and he utters a certain phrase from which she understand that he is the special friend with whom she had been chatting all long. Fortunately however she meets with an accident and dies. Paro moves to Mumbai.

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