Cast: Chandan Roy Sanyal, Yuki Ellias, Suhasini Muley, Kallol Banerjee
Director: Rafeeq Ellias
'Love You to Death' or 'LYTD' is another small budget film which has been made with good production values. The storyteller has given a lot of thrust on the climax and thus the audience feels a bit detached during the initial scenes. However the rising tempo of the story keeps one glued to the chair till the penultimate scene. The ultimate sequence gives a very subtle message but till then the film becomes dark and the spectator starts to identify with the characters.
The basic storyline consists of four primary characters Atul Sinha (Chandan Roy Sanyal), Sonia (Yuki Ellias), Sundari (Suhasini Mulay), and Sundari's husband (Kallol Banerjee), but the family of four is divided into many factions. Atul doesn't love Sonia but Sonia keeps the home running as her sign is needed on every cheque they wish to cash. Atul wants to close a deal with a Russian-Israeli arms dealer Yuri, who propagates the philosophy that only war can establish the peace.
Atul's mother Sundari is fascinated by racy and violent video games which she plays with the domestic help Chhotu. She fuels her son's ideas about money and ambition. Her husband is a jolly good fellow whose mind is controlled by a tarot card reader Maya (Seeba Chaddha), who also happens to be the spiritual teacher of Sonia.
The story unfolds with Atul's failure in bed which brings him to the door of a sexologist who finds stress the prime reason behind the 'missile failure'. However Atul wants his wife's money and becomes annoyed when he finds that Sonia is planning to donate a large chunk of her money to an environmentalist John's (Nicholas Brown) organisation. After some half hearted efforts to make the relationship work, Atul and Sundari hire professionals to eliminate Sonia out of the game.
The game starts getting complicated as every member of the family has a score to settle down with another member of the family. The drama takes a new twist when a high profile party turns violent.
Don't judge the film by its plot summery as it's more of a dark thriller than a profound comedy. The film lacks the pace in the first half where time has been primarily spent on character building with a pinch of humour. Chandan Roy Sanyal's role has been given ample time to develop but the director Rafeeq Ellias's knack for giving details diverts the viewer's mind from the central theme at certain spots. Extra footage has been allotted to show a bulky bodyguard, aloe vera drink, Elvis Presley get-up, and a monotonous accountant.
A love that doesn't exist is quite evident in Atul's eyes but Sonia's side remains elusive till the end, which should be seen as a success for Yuki Ellias. She has managed to come up with a good performance. Chandan Roy Sanyal looks irritated and stressed but somehow he doesn't appear as menacing as his character is. Of course real life criminals are more decisive but a little more anger or disappointment on his face could have done better for the character.
Suhasini Muley is average and fits into the character with some difficulties. The face we have seen in 'Hu Tu Tu' should not be expected in this film.
Rafeeq Ellias has tried his best to hold the story together and his success lies in the climax which is not only exciting but thought provoking too.
The message of 'Love You Till Death' is 'who will cry, when you die'. Basically, what we are chasing in life decides our destiny.
The film has no qualms in demonstrating that the materialistic world is leading the society to a stage where relationships don't matter, and money can't bring happiness.
The camera is average, so is the editing but the background score excels, especially when it compliments the climax. The director Rafeeq Ellias has donned the hat of the cinematographer too.
The language of the film is 'Hinglish' but it doesn't hamper the flow of the story.
Overall, 'LYTD' is a film with small stars, small budget and a valuable message.####
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