Oldies Goldies (Bangla)

Sometimes you feel like doing something you used to enjoy a decade back. As with everything else, here also the good memories stay in your head, and the sufferings are washed off with the passage of time. So when you look back it seems to be all nice. And that's exactly when this bug bites you, making you feel nostalgic and probably a little homesick (and hence completely clueless about reality). And that's the moment you decide to take a little trip down memory lane, albeit through celluloid, but the lane would definitely be decorated with the lamp-posts and horse-carriages straight from the town you grew in. Sadly in today's world we don't have the gas pipes running along the street to lit them anymore, and the horses have either died or sold.

It was a long introduction for my recent experience with Bangla films. I was doing some grocery at the Indian store (certain things you will never get in the usual chains, and yes, I still need them), when this happened. I felt the same way and decided to rent some Bangla videos for the long weekend as I planned to stay back and relax after the hectic schedule in recent past. In terms of money this is no big deal. But in terms of the gap between expectation and reality, it was shocking, and also very educational, as it reiterated the fact that life is a one-way journey.

I will not limit this discussion on the 3 films I saw (though none of it I could see completely, I either slept midway, switched it off while getting up from couch to get a Saridon, or simply rushed out of my apartment for some fresh air, literally and figuratively). Let me include some other films that I have seen in last one year, let the torture be complete and all-encompassing. So here goes the abridged list:

1. Nishithey
direction: Agragami, starring: Uttam Kumar, Supriya Debi, Nandita Basu.
2. Bhoy
direction: Chiranjeet, starring: Chiranjeet, Debashree Roy, Soumitra Banerjee.
3. Mohonar Dikey
direction: Biresh Chatterjee, starring: Aparna Sen, Dipankar De, Sumitra Mukherjee.
4. Padaatik
direction: Mrinal Sen, starring: Dhritiman Chatterjee, Simi Garewal.
6. Mon Niye
direction: Salil Sen, starring: Uttam Kumar, Supriya Debi.

I have seen few more films that are released in recent years (like Titli, Chokher Bali, Ek Je Aachhe Kanya etc), will not include them in this discussion as these works do not represent the mainstream).

Now my point was, I used to enjoy Bangla films till a certain age, but it probably has more to do with my exposure to films and to varied culture, than the number of years I had passed on this planet. As a kid, I used to sneak for a glimpse of the film that was being shown on DD, and I still remember the excitement I had when I was allowed to see the films like "Rajodrohi" or "Jhinder Bondi". This was all good, and I was slowly promoted to see other films if that did not affect my studies as decided by the supreme command. And some of these oldies I actually liked, though they were unrealistic from the present day context (like "Nayika Songbad", and I feel the same about "Mast" though that is made decades after; or "Shuno Baronaari", "Sathihara", "Prithibi Amare Chaye", "Raja Saja"). However, they never claimed to be the portraits of reality, commercial and mediocre films in most of the cases, and so if you enjoy it for the moment, that's not too bad. What actually went wrong is as the Bangla movie industry headed for a downfall as Uttam Kumar grew older and eventually died, all these movies were being identified (and accepted) as Classics. When all you see is way-below-mediocre films made by absolutely incompetent directors and showcasing actors who cannot save those bad films by their star values (though some of these actors were/are talented, but lacked the glamour), you can't help but become overly nostalgic about the past. We had heroes like Ranjit Mallick (Gosh, this guy refused to learn anything after spending almost three decades playing the lead), Dipankar De (extremely talented but not that lucky), Sontu Mukherjee (um, I'll pass), Samit Bhanja (raw appeal, but acting and smartness? nah!!), Anup Kumar (brilliant in Tarun Majumdar films, but reduced to a buffoon in others' works) and the rest of the bandwagon like Partha Mukherjee, Mrinal Mukherjee, Swarup Dutta et al. Of course we had Soumitra and Anil Chatterjee, very talented, but they could not save it either.

All these led to us to believe whatever was churned out before Uttam Kumar's demise were great artwork, and this created a long-lasting myth. I don't blame the director who makes a movie like Sagarika. This was meant to be a commercial hit, and it served its purpose. If it does not withstand the passage of time, one cannot blame it, as it never claimed to be a timeless classic. People to be blamed for such mistakes are the previous generation I suppose, who tried to save themselves from the frustration by dismissing all attempts done in the post-80's, and by deifying anything that is BnW. This created a long-lasting effect on my mind as a kid, I started thinking in the same line and soon became kinda snob! Thus I dismissed big hits like "Shatru", "Guru-Dakkhina", "Amar Songi" and others, from the point of their artlessness (if there is a word like this) and complete lack of aesthetic value. I was not wrong, but the counterpoint I was making there was incorrect.

Now after so many years when I tried to revisit the so-called golden past, I realize that the world has changed a lot, and probably for betterment. Yes I see them considering the timeframe and context, I keep in mind the technical advancement that has happened since then. Still what haunts me is the trivial nature of these films, although some of them have big names attached. Let's take the example of "Nishithey".

The film is based on a short story by Tagore (I don't recall the reading). It was elaborated for the film by Samaresh Basu, was directed by Agragami, and had actors like Uttam Kumar, Supriya and newcomer Nandita Basu. The actors did their job well except for Ms. Basu, but the whole concept and the execution were so pointless that it did reach nowhere. Then there were conceptual flaws and mundane dialogues, making it completely intolerable. Why would a Zamindar suffering from insomnia would rush to the Doctor's house in the middle of the night when he can call him to his palace (even we, the lesser mortals not living in palaces have the doctors visit us sometimes, don't we?) and then starts sharing his life story with him with great details for the ease of the viewer! If this is for case history's sake from the medical viewpoint, I suppose the family physician might already know it. Dialogues sound so contrived that you feel like screaming, even an actor like Uttam Kumar could not make them bearable. Don't ask me about the ending of the film, I switched to a game of Baseball though I am not a fan of it.

Next day I thought of trying something more contemporary. "Bhoy" as I remember was a film the director was very proud of (who incidentally also wrote the story, screenplay and dialogues, plus produced the film and played the male lead). Here is an actor who has pretty high self-esteem (compares himself with stalwarts like Uttam Kumar, which might not be a bad thing IF he could prove it for at least once). He once said that he made this film without any compromise. That's some statement, considering the fact that it is a complete rip-off from films (yes, plural) like "Agnisakshi", "Yaranaa" (the Madhuri one) and "Daraar", not to mention the mother-solution called "Sleeping with the Enemy". Except for Debashree, every actor was horrible (give me a stronger phrase, that can humiliate them to death). The direction (if I can call it direction) is not even amateurish, and breaks every rule of direction. It has a song by Amar Paul, just after which we get another by Suman Chatterjee (now you know why I saw this film, yes Suman has two songs and both are excellent as they always are). In another sequence, Debashree dances violently in Rain just after a melow song (by Suman) is over. Soumitra Banerjee has no screen presence, absolutely no acting skill, and he attacks our nerves the moment he appears, and yet, was given a substantial role to play. Satya Banerjee (PLT) and Chitra Sen are fine, but we know how much they can do for a film like this. Again, I had to switch to something else before it ended.

I saw "Mon Niye" a month back, still have the feeling inside, the pain and angst, to see Supriya with a make up that made her look like an Amazon in one of the two roles she played. And the irritating kid that plays a pivotal role (hence long screen time).

"Padatik" by Mrinal Sen made me thoughtful. I kept on thinking the reasons behind:
A. Why on earth Simi Garewal agreed to act in such a film. May be we can blame Ray ("Aranyer Dinratri") for giving her a wrong impression about Bengali Filmmakers.
B. If these are the best of Dhritiman's works, then shouldn't we better remember him for his roles in movies like "Black"?
C. If this is one director who represents the country for the Arthouse movies, should we start concentrating solely on the mainstream?
This one was an absolute disaster, from both aesthetic and entertainment points of view, a movie that reiterates the fact that some of our respected filmmakers need to learn something about filmmaking. But then, which was your Mrinal Sen favorite? I don't recall many.

So this was how it went. Don't get me wrong, I do like movies of all genres, am a big fan of most of the Ghatak films and same for Ray, and I can watch a Tarun Majumdar any day. We do have great movies made in the history of Bangla Cinema. Watch "Nirjan Saikate", "Meghe Dhaka Tara", "Saare Chuyattar", "Sonar Kella", "Dadar Kirti", "Baksho Badol", "Sriman Prithwiraj", "Kalpurush", "Kancher Swarga", "Chhaya Surjo", just to name a few. One can enjoy them without any consideration for the context. But for other films, just make sure you don't carry the hangover inherited from your parents, and don't expect anything out-of-the-world from those films. Those were made to entertain the people of a certain generation, so they would have their limitations. Whatever your dad feels about them, watch them with an open mind, and am sure you would be able to enjoy.

Now before I call it a day, wish me luck. I still have the "Mohonar Dikey" waiting from me!