Haripada Bandwala 2016

Haripada Poddar Ankush Hazra is a passionate band musician who dreams of turning his music into a video album with his dream model and actress Sweety Nusrat Jahan. Yet his optimism is tempered by harsh realities: only one CD from his audio album has sold, leaving him deeply in debt while he clings to the swagger of calling himself the “world-famous celebrity Haripada Bandwala.” The film follows his colorful, melodramatic world, where music, romance, and crime collide in Kolkata’s bustling streets.

Nandolal (portrayed by Kharaj Mukherjee) is a fierce, boisterous don who rules the city with a comic edge. His power unfolds through a pair of bumbling assistants, Sona and Mona, and he guards a fragile ego with a fear of his own wife, Madhobi. The balance between menace and mirth threads through every scheme, making Nandolal both dangerous and oddly endearing. One day, while navigating his own petty appetites and social ambitions, he spots a glossy hoarding of Sweety and is instantly drawn to her image.

Sweety’s beauty becomes the spark that drives much of the film’s mischief. Nandolal schemes to pull Sweety into a wedding party organized by his friend, producer Dilip Da, promising to cover all costs and create an opportunity that would elevate his status. This plan pits his grand fantasies against the chaotic rhythms of a man who constantly misreads the world around him, setting in motion a chain of farcical but consequential events.

Meanwhile, Haripada is hammered by financial trouble: a loan he took to fund the CD project is unpaid, and his dreams feel more fragile with each passing day. He learns that he is due to perform at a wedding party, where the chance to reconnect with Sweety seems tantalizing but perilously blocked by Nandolal’s interference. A photographer captures a moment when Haripada tries to approach Sweety, but the scene is dominated by Nandolal’s presence. The resulting image lands in the newspapers the next day, painting a scandalous picture and drawing Madhobi’s fury as she scans the sensational headlines.

Into this intricate tangle steps Sonia, a bold young woman played by Swastika Dutta, whom Haripada once saves from local goons. Her gratitude soon blossoms into affection, adding another layer to a story already brimming with desire and deception. Madhobi, too, grows curious about Haripada as she sees his life splashed across her walls in photographs—yet her emotions are entangled with Nandolal’s machinations, complicating every choice Haripada makes.

The plot thickens when Dadoo, Madhobi’s father (or “Daddy” in the family circle), appears to monitor the chatter around the supposed affair between Sweety and Nandolal. To protect himself, Nandolal asks Haripada to play along as Sweety’s pretend boyfriend, enforcing a strange rule: Haripada must maintain a four-foot distance from Sweety, and any touch is strictly forbidden. A detective—Gublu, who bills himself as “James Bond, Bangla Version”—peers into the arrangement, and his watching eyes push the ruse toward a tipping point. Sweety, watching this carefully staged romance, eventually begins to believe that Haripada is simply following orders, which only deepens her confusion and, paradoxically, her growing fondness for him.

The deception deepens as Sweety discovers the ruse and worries that Haripada is merely obeying Nandolal’s commands. Yet Haripada’s own sincerity begins to shine through; his genuine care for Sweety—evidenced by little gestures, such as a birthday gift of a sari—softens her stance and boosts her affection for him. Sonia’s feelings for Haripada intensify as she sees him repeatedly risking danger for others, while Madhobi’s own secret affections simmer beneath the surface, further complicating the love polygon that orbits Haripada.

Then comes tragedy and danger in quick succession. Sukhendu Talapatra’s body is discovered in the Ganga, and the police arrest Haripada on charges of murder. The investigation intensifies the film’s tension, forcing the lovers and the lucky few who care for Haripada to improvise a jailbreak, both literal and emotional. Sweety, Sonia, and Madhobi—three women caught between loyalty and love—join forces to secure Haripada’s release, racing against time and the town’s rumor mill.

The revelations arrive with theatrical force: Madhobi is revealed to be Nandalal’s wife, and Sonia is Nandalal’s daughter. The web of relationships untangles with a new clarity, and the story pivots toward an almost larger-than-life turn of fate. Enter Dadoo from Dubai, a formidable don who once helped shape Nandalal’s rise. His arrival shifts the dynamic dramatically, revealing that he’s the more powerful backer of the criminal world—yet his heart seems to soften when he learns that Haripada is an artist whose CD he once bought and treasured. The old boss sees a spark in Haripada’s dream and, rather unexpectedly, pledges his support to help Hari realize a proper video album—featuring Sweety as the lead.

In the end, the movie settles into a blend of comedy, romance, and music, with the city’s underworld offering a backdrop of colorful chaos rather than a foreboding doom. Haripada’s dream finally gains a new wind under Dadoo’s patronage, and the man who once faced debt and derision emerges with a renewed sense of purpose. The story wraps with a hopeful note: a road paved by song, friendship, and the stubborn belief that a true artist can carve success out of adversity, especially when there are people who believe in him—even if their belief comes wrapped in the flamboyant texture of Kolkata’s larger-than-life world. The film remains a window into a quirky, exuberant corner of cinema where music, romance, and don-like spectacle collide in bright, unapologetic color.