Truth is stranger than fiction.  Srijit Mukherji’s Ek Je Chhilo Raja is the story of a man who returns as a Naga sanyasi after a 12 year absence claiming to be Raja Mahendra Kumar Chowdhury, and the court case to assert his property rights to the estate.  It is based on the well-known Bhawal Sanyasi case which went through the courts of Dhaka, Calcutta, and London for 16 years and which remains mysterious 70 years after the final judgement. Mukherji has incorporated Partha Chatterjee’s book, “A Princely Impostor? The Strange and Universal History of the Kumar of Bhawal” into the film.  Since the case is so known and presented linearly without creative plot twists, audiences will be disappointed if they go expecting to be surprised.

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The movie is told through the court case, and the memories of the characters.  The court scenes are filmed in black and white, reflecting the black and white nature of the law, the attempt to establish facts and hence the truth.  The scenes of the characters’ memories are filled with dramatic rich color and grandeur.  Breathtaking cinematography by Gairik Sarkar, art direction by Indranil Ghosh and production design by Shibaji Pal deserve special mention. The music and background songs add warmth and ambience especially the beautiful "Esho Hey" sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Ishan Mitra and haunting "Tu Dikkhe Na" sung by Kailash Kher and Ishan Mitra, both written by Srijato Bandyopadhyay with music score by Indraadip Dasgupta.

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Jishu Sengupta is in the lead role as the swaggering, philandering, debaucherous zamindar, and the wandering sadhu who has forsaken the world.  His Bengali accent, appearance, gait and demeanor are distinct to each incarnation; however a fine trace of self-awareness and self- reflection remains.  As a zamindar he is acutely aware of how his bored waywardness appears to others and also of his responsibilities to the people under his care.  As the sadhu, he is literally and figuratively stripped bare of his regal excesses and worldly attachments. 

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Aparna Sen and Anjan Dutt play the dueling attorneys debating not only the facts of the case but behind the scenes, nationalistic pride, British rule, and society’s patriarchy. The undercurrent of a past romance was a pointless, intrusive distraction.  The current terminology and language style of Aparna Sen’s Anupama was jarringly out of place for the period drama. 

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Jaya Ahsan, as Mrinmayi Devi, the prince’s favorite sister who never loses faith in him, delivers a flawless performance that is heart wrenching and authentic.  Her calm, dutiful steadiness provides contrasts to the flamboyance of her zamindar brother as does her passion compared to the stoic sadhu.

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The heart of the movie is the question of identity.  We are who others say we are, what we know, and what we own.  Who knows Raja Mahendra Kumar Chowdhury best: his sister, his wife, his lover, those who want to take his property or benefit from him keeping it? What evidence takes precedence: medical facts or eye witness accounts and can both be wrong? We are who others say we are but what if they cannot agree?  Truth is indeed stranger than fiction and this engaging tale does not disappoint.