Keyo? (Why?, 2025) Movie Review: A Dated Reflection of the Suffering Artist

“Keyo?” is a new Assamese film released on August 1, 2025, starring Partha Dutta, Primrose Saikia, and Palashree Das in the lead roles. Directed by Aparup Agarwala, the film is based on the play of the same name (“Why?”) by Phani Sharma. Released alongside Amar Deep Gogoi’s “Collage,” despite positive word-of-mouth, the lack of promotions has failed to make this film a success at the box office. Actors Partha Dutta and Palashree Das portray a married couple in the film. They are parents to three children, with the eldest daughter appearing to be around 10 to 12 years old. Both the actors themselves appear noticeably young for these roles, creating an immediate visual dissonance in the story.

Marked by heightened aesthetics, theatricality, and drama, “Keyo?” tells the story of an artist named Pradip Chaliha and inquires about the financial and moral worth of an artist’s life, his art, and his values. Contemplating the life of a person who devotes himself selflessly to the larger cause of society and humanity, the story feels dated and repetitive in today’s context. This is because the film unfolds more as a reflective moral inquiry on the nature and fate of artists than telling an actual story. Having the questions and emotional beats clear from the beginning, the film leans heavily into a sentimental portrayal of the suffering artist—“Oh! Look how poor he is,” “See how he struggles to provide for his family,” “See how his child dies of hunger,” “See how society fails to recognise his worth,” and so on.

The film poses these questions almost non-rhetorically, mirroring the internal quest of the suffering artist, who searches, often in vain, for the answers. Feels heavy already, right? Yes, the film’s preachiness and virtue signalling go a long way. It throws around such questions as what artists get beyond neglect and marginalization. Why the tendency to take their contributions for is granted? Why? Keyo? And after a point, a sane audience will either lose faith in themselves or in the film.

The only saving grace of the film is the production value and the cinematography (by veteran Suman Dowerah). It is not a very high-budget production, but the film’s aesthetic and the mise-en-scène are crafted in a way that is worthy enough to keep us invested. The film’s origins as a stage play show through in its staging and blocking, especially in the scenes set inside Pradip Chaliha’s house, which convincingly recreates the stage’s sense of virtual space.

While the film presents itself as a decent realist production in its external shots, the unique lighting conditions in the interior scenes (of Pradip’s house) become a deliberate attempt to get a stagy look and feel for the film. It works in its fidelity to the source, yet falters by never striving to break free from the confines of the stage. Very spontaneously placed musical interludes, in between the narrative, also create a theatrical atmosphere, but it is again a double-edged stylistic choice.

The film is largely salvaged from becoming a complete failure by the performances of Partha Dutta and Palashree Das. However, the director’s ambivalence regarding whether to pursue realism or a heightened theatricality is a conflict that is self-evident in the direction of the actors as well. As for the actors, one can only hope they are afforded better opportunities in stronger projects in the future.

Partha Dutta was previously featured in Hem Chandra Bora’s “Jhankar,” and Palashree Das had appeared in Dipankar Kashyap’s “Xitore Xemeka Rati – The Winter Rain.” Both films were abysmally dated and bad. To conclude, Keyo may lack genuine engagement in terms of story originality, yet its subject remains socially relevant—albeit presented in a highly conventional manner. Visually, the film makes some effort; however, in terms of its story and narrative, it ultimately falls short. Released in as many as twenty cinema halls across Assam, the film struggled to attract audiences and was withdrawn following a disappointing first week at the box office.

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Keyo? (Why?, 2025) Movie Link: Book My Show