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First Friday of a year has never been friendly for Bollywood filmmakers at least for the last decade or so. If it were 'Vaada' or 'Rog' that saw the light of the day on the first Friday of the New Year, it sank at the box office without any trace; 'Ishq Hai Tumse' met with the same fate a year earlier. The list goes on and on; as 'Talash' in 2003, 'Pitaah' in 2002, 'Galiyon Ka Badshah' in 2001, 'Mela' and 'Bulundi' (big star films) in 2000, 'Sikandar Sadak Ka' in 1999, 'Astha' in 1997 and 'Himmat', 'Jurmana' and 'Smuggler' in 1996 plus 'Aasoo Baney Angaarey' in 1994.

All these films released on the first Friday of the respective years were rejected by the audience. So, is the first Friday of the year is always doomed for Bollywood. Director Aparna Sen returns to the screen with her daughter Konkana Sen Sharma after 'Mr. And Mrs. Aiyer' in her new outing '15 Park Avenue'. The film's name is an address for which its heroine is looking for though it exists nowhere. Aparna Sen is known for films of substance and despite a hectic first week of the New Year, people are eager to go to theatres and watch a film that can soothe them if not entertain.

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That has been the reputation of Aparna Sen down the years since '36 Chowringee Lane'. From her last address of a lane to the address of a bungalow, it has been a long voyage for Aparna Sen and her daughter. Konkana Sen Sharma is a well-known name among the audience and she brings in a fan following with her that made an experimental film like 'Page 3' work wonders last year. Aparna Sen expects the same wonder to repeat in '15 Park Avenue'.

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'15 Park Avenue' revolves around its main character -- Mithee (Konkana Sen Sharma). She lives with her elder sister Anjali (Shabana Azmi) and mother Rewa (Waheeda Rehman). Meethi is suffering from chronic schizophrenia and epilepsy, so the family is all the time busy taking care of her. That makes Anjali work under pressure and at times under stress But, Meethi did live a normal life in the past. She was a bubbly kind of a girl who was engaged to a handsome man Jojo (Rahul Bose).

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Jojo and Meethi were happy with their relations but the fate had some thing else for them in store. While working as a reporter Meethi is gang raped and this disturbs her mental equilibrium. However, Jojo reacts otherwise and moves on to live his life afresh after breaking all relations with her. Both meet again in a very different situation. Jojo is married to a beautiful girl named Lakshmi (Shefali Shah) and has two children. Jojo is shocked to see Meethi in this condition and starts caring for her.

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On the other hand, Meethi is living under an illusion that she is married to Jojo and has children and a house with an address, 15 Park Avenue. Meethi, however, does not recognize Jojo as her fiancée and requests him to take her away from 'over protective' family. Jojo tries to help her out in this situation and this makes Lakshmi feel uneasy of their relationship; the relationships between a mother and a daughter, a husband and a wife, a girl and her fiancée and two sisters!

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Weaving many human emotions in one story has never been an easy task for film directors. Aparna Sen did try to master this art in her last films '36 Chowringee Lane' and 'Mr. and Mrs. Aiyer'. Both the films not only got her rave reviews and accolades but also carved an image for her that led her to be one of the leading female directors of the present age. Coming back to her latest offing '15 Park Avenue', Aparna Sen tries to move ahead from her last films in terms of story web. This time she brings in more characters than in her last films. And, the challenge takes its toll. Yes, as a director Aparna hasn't lived up to expectations.

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This time she faces the problems of story narration and its progression. She weaves so many tracks in a story which is not an easy thing as we find in 'Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara' that deals with a mentally challenged man living in illusion. Aparna also fails to get support from her esteemed cast. But some of the scenes like Mithee meeting Jojo for the second time are high points of the film. But, in totality she fails to keep a grip. She also gets good help from cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi in capturing the nuances of nature and human life on screen.

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'15 Park Avenue' may not have succeeded in passing the litmus test at box office because of its different approach, but it remains a good film to watch by the lovers of elite cinema. The film is loaded with powerful performances by its cast and Shabana Azmi leads the band. She mesmerizes the audience with her acting. Second to her is the new age 'Smita Patil' that is Konkana Sen Sharma. She plays the role of a sick girl tremendously well. Whatever the result at the box office, she will remain there as a contender for Best Actress Award in the months to follow.

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Waheeda Rehman does her job with grace, and Rahul Bose too comes out with perfect job. Shefali Shah is a revelation for film buffs. After her strong portrayal of a mother's role in 'Waqt', she does a cameo in this film. She looks so perfect for the role that on first instance you may not even recognize her as Shefali. Kanwaljeet and Whitman do their jobs nicely too. But, despite all these excellent performances, it does not have any entertaining value. And, to find the audience for these kinds of films has not been an easy task in India.