The impenetrable green jungles of Duars, covered by dense morning fog, sunshine playing hide-and-seek, Buddhist monasteries, the famous Darjeeling toy train, poetry and music, create an essence of romance in Titli. The innocence, the romance and the twist in a mother-daughter relationship are cradled in nature’s lap that essentially acts as a catalyst to the film-Rituporno Ghosh’s first outdoor film. Titli is a tale of 17-year-old girl Titli (Konkona Sen Sharma), having a major crush on a Bollywood superstar Rohit Roy (Mithun Chakraborty). Titli’ adores this twice-her-age film star - her bedroom is filled with his posters and cutouts and she is so infatuated by him that she does not consider their idea of marrying him unusual, much to the surprise of her mother Urmila (Aparna Sen). But this is not a tale of teenager swooning over a film star, a chance incident and a twist in personal relationship, breaks her crush forever and transforms Titli into a girl-woman. It happens on foggy morning on the pathway from Kurseong to Siliguri when Titli and Urmila head in their jeep to receive Titli’s father (Dipankar De) from the airport. The path from Kurseong till Darjeeling has been symbolically interpreted with the rendition of Kishore Kumar’s Meri Sapnon Ki Raani Kab Aayegi Tu juxtaposed against the toy train swirling on a winding path. The film captures a nostalgic moment here with Urmila talking about her teenage crush Rajesh Khanna that coincides with the song Titli plays. The intensity gathers momentum combined with some brilliant photographic shots. It is amidst this journey that they chance upon Rohit Roy who is returning to Mumbai after a shoot in Darjeeling A car breakdown makes his return uncertain. He is eager to reach Siliguri, from where he has to catch a flight to Mumbai. As luck would have it makes his journey with Urmila and Titli. The 17-year-old’s dream to meet her crush ultimately comes true. A spontaneous conversation between the three, cut by a halt in the journey, intensifies the story. The driver needs coolant for the jeep and Rohit has finished his stock of cigarettes. Titli cajoles Rohit to let her fetch his brand of cigarettes from the nearby market. Urmila and Rohit are now alone, and finally get a chance to remember their an affair 20 years back, when Rohit wandered from one studio to another in Tollygunge for a role. Two decades have passed, Urmila is married, but the romance still lingers and the setting builds up the ambience for a very reminiscing and a romantic conversation! The director has used poetry to enhance the romance. Urmila quotes from the lines of Shakti Chattopadhyay’s famous poem Abani Bari Aachho? (Abani, are you home?) She wonders whether the day is the first day of the month of Aashadh (a monsoon month in the Bengali calendar) and quotes a line from Kalidasa’s Meghdootam. Rohit feels a droplet of rain on his Seiko watch. They wander along the greenery amidst the fog and Urmila sings a Rabindrasangeet. She again recites an entire poem from Tagore’s Sanchayita. The romance is spontaneous. At this juncture Titli returns, without the knowledge of Urmila and Rohit. She overhears the conversation, learns of the past affair. Titli’s romance is broken. The journey resumes and the John Lennon’s Let me take you down ‘coz I’m going to Strawberry Fields...floats in the atmosphere. Titli quietly listens to the music gulping down her tears. Suddenly her mother emerges as her immediate rival. Her teenage innocence is shattered. The plot thickens with the tension that revolves around the mother and the daughter. The daughter who shared every feeling with her mother can no more share her pain with her. But tension gradually eases between the two and Titli comes back to reality. She wonders, however, if her mother still loves Rohit and gets her answer at the end of the film when Rohit writes a letter to Urmila about his relationship with a film journalist. This again coincides with a Bengali film magazine making a cover story announcing Bangali Babur Biye. Now it is Urmila who cries and Titli consoles her. Titli is a mature and sensitive story that deals with romance and an inter-personal relationship between a mother and a daughter. Konkona Sen Sharma gives a wonderful performance as Titli and Aparna Sen, her real-life mother is brilliant as Urmila. Mithun Chakraborty’s portrayal as the Bollywood film star staying away from his homeland is realistic and superb and his slightly accented Bengali serves the purpose. Director Rituporno Ghosh’s use of nature, poetry and music as motifs is sensitive. Sreekanta Acharya’s rendition of the opening song builds up the tempo of the film. The film is really worth watching.