The trailer of LUDO, the latest film by Q co-directed with his long time collaborator Nikon has the director’s signature smudged all over it. The low key lights with sudden flashes of bright color palettes, a jarring quality of sound design relying on new age music, stylized frames are all the aspects which made Q an intriguing figure in Contemporary Bengali Cinema.
While it is certainly commendable for a director to have a signature style of his own, the trailer of LUDO is seemingly under the threat of the style overshadowing the content. The minute long trailer reveals that a pair of young couples is either trapped or willingly spending the night inside a shopping mall. But their anticipation for fun and adventure go horribly wrong when they run into an old couple who invite them for a board and dice game. And the rest is mayhem, shrieks, and buckets of blood and what is made to look like even cannibalism although one is not sure. And therein lay the problem with the trailer. In an attempt to create an aura of intrigue and suspense, the series of shots put together is simply looking too obscure. They only communicate a certain (self-indulgent) visual and aural style. But then one who is acquainted with the works of Q would already know that!
Arup Ratan Samajdar
