The Storyteller Movie Review: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan's The Storyteller is based on Satyajit Ray's short story, Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro. Set a few decades ago, travelling between West Bengal and Gujarat, the movie explores the bond between a storyteller and his listener - and what happens when one discovers a secret about the other. If you're up for a charming tale that doesn’t mind taking its time to unfold at a leisurely pace, The Storyteller could be just the experience you’re looking for. Particularly if you adore Satyajit Ray's literary works and do not mind if the filmmakers take creative liberties with those without harming the spirit of the original. The Storyteller: Paresh Rawal, Revathy-Starrer Selected for International Competition Category at IFFI Goa!

Tarini Bandyopadhyay (Paresh Rawal) is a widower based out of Calcutta who has just retired from his job at a newspaper and finds himself unsure of what to do next. He’s a joy to be around if you love stories, as he can conjure one out of thin air, but Tarini just can’t bring himself to put those stories on paper. His late wife often teased him about this, but his fear of rejection always held him back - a sentiment I can personally empathise with.

The 'socialist' Tarini also repeatedly turns down his US-based son’s invitations to visit, as he’s no fan of the 'capitalist' lifestyle. One day, his friend shows him a newspaper ad seeking a storyteller - a paying job. The catch? The position is in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Watch The Trailer of 'The Storyteller':

Tarini decides to take a chance and heads to Ahmedabad, where he meets his employer, Ratan Garodia (Adil Hussain), a wealthy cotton merchant suffering from insomnia. As Tarini wryly notes, it’s ironic that a man who makes his living from selling cots can’t sleep in them. Ratan hires Tarini to tell him original bedtime stories, ostensibly to help him sleep. But as the film unfolds, it becomes clear there’s more to their relationship than a simple transactional arrangement.

'The Storyteller' Movie Review - A Patient Watch That Might Be Rewarding

The first hour of The Storyteller demands patience, as it takes its time establishing Tarini’s character, his constraints as a storyteller, and his developing bond with the starkly different Ratan. But for those who stick with it, there are rewarding payoffs.

The movie’s slow pacing allows its metaphors and ironies to shine. Ratan, for instance, prides himself on having made his fortune without the benefit of education, yet he surrounds himself with books he’s never read, and the only Gujarati author he knows is Gandhi. He pines for his lost love, Saraswati - a name that also happens to belong to the Goddess of Learning. The film underlines this metaphor with repeated references to how Lakshmi (wealth) and Saraswati (learning) can’t coexist. Ratan’s greatest regret, it seems, is losing Saraswati, which may explain his insomnia. Satyajit Ray Birth Anniversary Special: 10 Movies of Legendary Director No Cinema Lover Must Miss and Where to Watch Them Online!

A Still From The Storyteller

There’s also a clever subplot involving Ratan’s pet cat, who frequently steals fish from his aquarium. Tarini secretly brings fish into Ratan’s vegetarian household and coerces the cook, Manikchand (Jayesh More), into preparing it. Symbolically, the cat’s behaviour mirrors Tarini’s role in Ratan’s life, with fascinating implications that emerge by the film’s end. When Ratan discovers what Tarini has been doing with the fish, he uncharacteristically chooses to look the other way - a decision that gains meaning as the story unfolds.

A Still From The Storyteller

While in Ahmedabad, Tarini befriends Suzie Fibert (Tannishtha Chatterjee), a librarian who helps him find fish in the vegetarian city. There’s a hint of flirtationship in their friendship, but the film wisely keeps it subtle. Through Suzie, Tarini stumbles upon a life-altering secret about Ratan.

'The Storyteller' Movie Review - Plays With Cliches

The Storyteller picks up well after this revelation, though it doesn’t exactly follow the predictable pattern of reactions you might expect from Tarini. If you’re hoping he would confront Ratan immediately - well, that doesn’t happen. His actions might seem curious, not just to you, but even to those friendly with him. Yet, you can’t ignore the sense of validation Tarini feels at that moment. Still, he’s not someone to forget the betrayal. How that plays out later is handled in a subtle manner that aligns perfectly with the tone of the movie. As the film’s central character says, timing is everything when it comes to delivering the big revelation. Ray Review: Manoj Bajpayee, Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor's Netflix Anthology Gives a Kickass Tribute to The Great Master Storyteller.

A Still From The Storyteller

While The Storyteller takes a restrained approach to, well, storytelling, there are moments where its broad strokes feel a bit off. For instance, the way the film contrasts its two culturally diverse main characters—a literature-loving Bengali who adores Tagore and Gorky and enjoys fish, versus a vegetarian Gujarati capitalist driven by opportunism, whose friendships are self-serving and who has no real friends—leans into regional clichés. That said, the scene where Ratan tries to justify his misconduct to Manikchand, while actually defending it to himself, is a clever dig at tycoons who attempt to cloak their self-serving actions in humanitarian excuses. Also, I really didn't expect 'Tagore' would be used to deliver a final blow!

A Still From The Storyteller

This brings us to the casting, which is quirky and unconventional. Having Paresh Rawal - a Gujarati actor known for his vocal support of a regime with pro-capitalist leanings - play Tarini, a Bengali steeped in Marxism and critical of capitalism, is an intriguing choice. It took me some time to adjust to his Bengali accent. I can’t help but wonder how it might have worked if Hussain and Rawal had switched roles. That said, The Storyteller doesn’t suffer from this casting decision - both actors deliver nice performances. Among the supporting cast, Revathy (as Saraswati), Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Jayesh More leave notable marks.

'The Storyteller' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

The Storyteller is a film that thrives on nuance, choosing to peel back its layers gently rather than relying on dramatic crescendos. While the Ananth Narayan Mahadevan directorial occasionally dips into predictable cultural tropes, it more than redeems itself with its understated performances and sly commentary on morality, greed, copyright infringement, and the subtle ideological clash between socialism and capitalism. The Storyteller is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Rating:3.0

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2025 06:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).