Joy Chatterjee (Abir Chatterjee) is a ruthless,self obsessed capitalist who doesn't believe in giving a second chance to anyone. He has no family but does value his relationship with Aditi (Jaya Ahsan), as she is all that he has for his psychological and romantic fulfilment. Yet again, he is often insensitive towards her, forcing her to reconsider her future with him. Their relationship hits a nadir when one day whilst driving up the picturesque hills of Darjeeling, his car hits a young boy, and Joy refuses to take the injured and bleeding child to the hospital. Since he doesn't believe in charity but thinks that such road accidents are preplanned to extort money, he pays Rs. 50,000 to the old monk who sat caring for the hurt child and heads out for their date up in the hills.
When he wakes up the next morning, he is first shocked to find Aditi having left their rendezvous with a rude text message that forces him to rush back to Kolkata. He is nursing a head injury and can not find Aditi at her place. A far greater shock awaits him as Aditi refuses to recognize him, followed by his manager and security guard at home, only to realise that his face had changed completely. Now stripped of his identity and access to his position and wealth, Joy Chatterjee comes crashing down to earth with a rude reality check - he has indeed lost everything with one swift flick of fate. Will life not forgive Joy for his self centric acts of deviance, or will he get an opportunity to become a better human being, is what "Aami Joy Chatterjee," (AJC) helmed by Manoj A Michigan explores.
Wrapped in the shawl of mysticism, intrigue, and philosophy, AJC's twists and turns get your heart out for the protagonist. The lines between reality and mystique tend to blur, especially at the climax when facts emerge. It's a sensitive story with psychological tilt, something that Manoj (story and screenplay writer, too) now professes with total elan and gives Abir Chatterjee ample scope to demonstrate his histrionic capabilities. However, the scorching pace of storytelling that AJC set in the first 45 minutes could not be sustained afterwards, but the conclusion brings back the urgency. Shataf Figar makes his presence felt with an intelligent analysis, and Jaya Ahsan is impressive, as usual.
Critically speaking, if Manoj had infused an imprint of Joy's redemption (I don't know how that would be possible, though) in the lives of those who he interacted with in his new avatar, Rahul, would have been a cherry on top of another remarkable film by my good friend from school.
