It is the story of Jonaki, an 80-year-old woman, who searches for love in a strange world of decaying memories, her lover, now old and grey returns to a world she is leaving behind. The Bengali actress Lolita Chatterjee, who passed away last year, portrays the woman who relives the memories of childhood trauma, a lost Christian lover, and a husband she didn’t want. Watch the trailer now.
As per the director, Jonaki is inspired by the life of his grandmother, whom he shared a special bond with. He also named it Jonaki, which means firefly, as she used to tell him that fireflies are part of a Japanese folktale in which the souls of the dead turn into fireflies and wander into the forest. Jim Sarbh, most recently seen in the Amazon Prime series Made in Heaven, plays the lover she lost in life, and found in her last dreams.
The funniest thing we read on Twitter today was the actor’s advice on when to watch the film. He said, “Watch it when you’re a bit sad, when you’re feeling a bit strange and don’t know why; watch it when you have time; watch it when you can let it wash over you like a dream. I fell asleep the first two times I tried to watch it ?. The third time? I loved it.”